Absent
by helios101
Summary: Stefan only knew her as the girl he'd chosen not to save that day; Damon,from the stories. But, for Elena,it wasn't that simple. She'd spent her whole life in her sister's shadow,known only as Kira Gilbert's older sister. Elena liked the life she had now,the life that was only hers because of Kira's absence. But when Jeremy dies, he sees his sister, and suddenly,everything changes.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Diaries

Summary:

Kira Gilbert, the younger twin of Elena Gilbert, and the sister that died in the same car accident that claimed their parents lives. Stefan Salvatore only knew her as the girl he'd had to choose not to save that day, Damon only heard of her in stories from her family and friends. While the brothers might not know it, everyone else always felt the hole that was never quite filled after her death. Caroline Forbes never found a friend she loved half so much, there was never anyone else capable of effortlessly pulling Jeremy back into line.

But, for Elena Gilbert, the death of her younger twin had consequences she never once imagined it would. Always in Kira's shadow, Elena, for the first time in her life, saw things from the other side. She was the one people now looked to whenever she walked into a room. Her opinion now held weight she'd never before experienced. She loved her sister, but in her heart of hearts, Elena knew she liked the life she had now, the life that was only hers because of Kira's absence, more than she liked only ever being Kira Gilbert's elder sister.

Pairing: Kira/Kol

…

"Elena," Kira groaned, throwing a look at Caroline's amused face before reluctantly following after her sister's figure. "Elena, come on, let me just get Tyler to walk us home, alright?" She didn't want to bother their parents at this hour, especially with Elena as tipsy as she was, but her older twin was having none of it.

"Do you think I want to be known as the reason the 'great Kira Gilbert' had to leave the party early?" Whirling around, long brown hair streaming through the air, Elena's brown eyes flashed at her angrily. "All I'll hear for a month in the halls is how poor Elena had to be taken home by her perfect sister because she broke up with her boyfriend. Don't you think I have enough on my plate?!"

Suppressing the urge to roll her eyes wasn't easy, especially when she caught sight of Caroline's concerned face over Elena's shoulder, but she did, somehow.

"Elena, you're being ridiculous-!" In hindsight, that probably wasn't the best choice of words.

Her sister's nostrils flared angrily and she spun around on her heel, storming off into the night without another word.

Watching after her sister's quickly disappearing figure, Kira sighed, bringing up her thumb and forefinger to pinch the bridge of her nose.

Why was it so hard for her and her sister to get along? They both loved each other, thought the world of each other, and if Elena really had a problem Kira was the first person she came to. But their relationship was also filled with competitiveness, jealousy and envy. Well…on Elena's side.

Where Elena had to really work at being charming, being social, it all came so naturally to Kira. She didn't freeze up when Mrs Lockwood cornered her at the Grill, guilting her into volunteering for whatever event the town had planned that week. She'd laugh, a witty comment falling easily from her lips, and before the older woman even knew what had happened she was watching the younger Gilbert twin walk out the door with a smile before realising that Kira had once again managed a graceful exit from any town responsibilities.

And where Elena had Bonnie, Kira had Caroline. The blonde Forbes and her were the closest of friends, and Kira felt no compunction jumping over the fence of the Forbes residence and shimmying through the always open window to crawl into Care's bed. Honestly, it had gotten to the point that her parents didn't even bother to call Sheriff Forbes to check if their youngest daughter was at her house or not, they already knew the answer.

And when she wasn't with Caroline, inevitably, she'd be with Tyler. Since she could remember, she'd always been close to the Mayor's son. One of the only people their age capable of taking the cold, harsh comments he'd throw at people and toss similar ones right back at him, Tyler respected her where he respected few others.

Elena, well, Elena was quieter. Less social. And, inevitably, she began being recognised more for being Kira Gilbert's twin, then for being Elena Gilbert.

And she hated it.

"Still want me to walk you home?" Tyler's gruff question from over her shoulder made her hang her head, staring at the dark asphalt beneath her feet for a long moment before she shook her head.

"No, it's fine," She sighed, turning to give him an appreciative smile. "Elena would only be mad at me if you turned up to witness her bad mood."

He laughed, raising the beer bottle to his lips to muffle the noise after she shot him a pointed look.

"I'll see you later, Ty," Kira chuckled, ignoring his reaction, instead leaning in to give him a quick hug. "See you Monday." And then, she was off, jogging after her sister.

Coming around the corner, Kira shook her head at the sight of a wobbly Elena attempting to climb into the back of their parent's car.

"Need some help, Elena?" If the look her sister threw at her was any indication she didn't smother the laughter in her voice as well as she'd thought.

"Are you coming, Kira?" Her Mum asked from the front seat, a small disapproving frown wrinkling her forehead as she observed Elena's less than graceful movements.

Glancing back over her shoulder, the orange glow of the bonfire illuminating the tops of the trees, she felt her face drop with disappointment before she pulled herself together, nodding silently at her parents as she followed Elena into the backseat.

"What's wrong with Elena?" Her Father whispered to her with concern as she slipped inside, closing the car door behind her.

"She broke up with Matt," Kira explained, sharing a look filled with understanding with her mother as she clicked the seatbelt into place.

"Well not all of us can flit from guy to guy like you, Kira," Elena, having caught the quiet words, shot at her venomously.

Blue eyes widening, her temper pushed to its limits with her sister's snarky behaviour tonight, Kira whipped around, her dark mahogany hair flying through the air.

"Dating, is not flitting from guy to guy, Elena," She growled lowly, shoving her long hair back behind her ear with a violent movement. "You went out with Matt for a year, I haven't found anyone that I want to commit to yet, that does not make me a player!"

Why did her sister always have to bring her romantic life up like it was something to be ashamed of?! She dated! It was normal! You know what wasn't normal?! Going on a date with the first guy that asked you out and then staying with him for a whole damn year despite the fact that you were never particularly interested in the guy!

"Well, why can't you find someone?!" Elena hissed, her chocolate eyes glinting angrily, a flare of envy burning deep in their depths. "You've gone out with all the good-looking guys in our year already, Kira! You had that fling with Dylan Hancock a few months ago and he just graduated! Bonnie even told me that you turned down Michael Hadley tonight, and nobody does that!" She spat furiously, the alcohol giving her more courage and less sense than she was used to.

"Girls, enough!" Grayson barked from the front of the car. "Elena, cool down, you're going to say something you regret."

But Kira's wide, sapphire eyes were focused unerringly on her sister's suddenly slack face, as if Elena had just realised what she'd said and how badly her ruthless sister would take such judgement.

Kira wasn't someone you wanted to get on the bad-side of. She was ferocious when provoked, and once she'd made up her mind about a person, that was it, it would take a miracle to reverse her opinion. But the real danger was the younger twin's temper. Elena didn't know where Kira got it, but her beautiful, petite, fair-skinned sister had a fearsome temper. She'd seen the chestnut brunette verbally decimate individuals twice her age within minutes if she were successfully provoked. The one guy that had tried to take advantage of her, that hadn't understood the meaning of 'stop', had unleashed a devastating anger that Elena had never seen in her sister before or since. Instead of coming back from her date a shaking, quivering mess of nerves and fear, Kira had been…furious.

She'd destroyed the eighteen year old, Jason Drake. Elena had watched from the sidelines as her sister methodically broke every aspect of the pig's life. A few words to Tyler and a couple of the guys on the football team, and Jason was in the hospital nursing a broken leg and black eye, his football scholarship and only ticket out of Mystic Falls vanishing from between his fingers. On good terms with all her teachers, Kira had cashed in a couple of favours from a few of the teacher's pets in the school, getting them to begin dropping hints and rumours about students cheating on their final exams.

Elena had no idea how Kira found out that Jason had cheated on his leaving exams, she shuddered to know, but a small part of her wondered if maybe her sister had manufactured that too.

All she knew is when Kira had finished with him, Jason Drake's life wasn't worth living.

"We'll talk later," Kira stated softly, giving Elena a dark look before turning her head to stare out the car window.

Swallowing, Elena looked down at her limp hands, hating the feeling of guilt that quickly spread through her entire body as she remembered the look of hurt in her sister's eyes when she'd called her out on her inability to settle down with one guy.

Kira was always there for her, just as Elena was always there for Kira. They were twins, and they loved each other to death. It was just so hard sometimes. Gritting her teeth together, Elena shook her head, pushing back the tears that were pricking at the backs of her eyes. She wouldn't cry, she refused to. She felt petty for being mad at Kira for something she couldn't control. It wasn't her little sister's fault that Elena felt like she was sliding into the background, dwarfed under the phenomenal weight of her sister's shadow.

Kira was special. Everyone in Mystic Falls knew that. She wasn't destined for a small town life, a small town boy.

It was just _so _hard being the sister of someone like Kira Gilbert.

"Grayson! Look out!" Miranda screamed, the headlights cold on the empty bridge road.

Everything happened so fast. Kira barely remembered it. The screams of her mother and sister as they went through the safety barrier, the yells of her Father as he desperately tried to regain control of the car. The drop of her stomach as the car flew through the air, the shock concussion and lancing pain across her ribs as they hit the water and she was thrown forward, jerking violently against the straining seatbelt.

But she did remember grabbing Elena's fingers tightly in her own. The realisation of what had happened as they quickly sunk beneath the water's dark surface. The sensation of lungs burning as she wished desperately for air, for one breath, only, it never came. And in those last few moments, as the darkness that surrounded her grew thicker, she felt her sister's fingers tugged harshly out of her own, the current of the water moving as something beside her was pulled.

And then…nothing.

…

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	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries

Jeremy stared down at the palms of his hands unseeingly, his breathing short, jerky.

How? How did this happen?

Jenna and he had just been at home, talking on the couch as they waited for everyone else to get back, only…they never did.

Minutes had begun to tick by, an hour, then an hour and a half, before Jeremy finally just decided to go to bed, fed-up with waiting.

He'd forever remember the moment he knew something had happened. Lying asleep in bed, his aunt's piercing scream from downstairs had woken him more successfully than anything ever had in his life. Tearing out the door, he'd rushed down the stairs only to see something he never wanted to see.

Sheriff Forbes, standing in the open doorway, comforting an inconsolable Jenna in her arms as the flashing blue lights of her police cruiser lit up the dark street behind her.

He'd never forget the way his stomach dropped out of his body, the way his legs lost all feeling as the Sheriff's tearful, sympathetic eyes met his where he stood frozen on the stairs.

Dead.

They were dead.

Gone.

His Mother. His Father. His sister.

Only Elena had survived the car accident.

He had no idea how they reached the hospital, he didn't remember even getting in the car, but he must have, because the next thing he remembered was the doctor jogging up to Jenna and him as soon as they stumbled into the emergency room, his face a mask of distress.

Grayson Gilbert had been a respected doctor in Mystic Falls, and the death of his wife and daughter struck the nurses and staff harder than most.

Jenna and he hadn't left Elena's side for one moment in those long hours it took for her to wake up. The steady beep of the heart monitor and blank, beautiful features of his eldest sister the only thing he could see in those long, awful hours.

Elena hadn't taken it well.

She'd screamed and cried and yelled out denials, not accepting their deaths. In the end, both she and Jenna had gone down to the morgue to look at their bodies.

Which is where he was now. Waiting for the last remnants of his family to get back from looking at those that hadn't escaped the watery depths underneath Wickery Bridge.

He didn't want to see them like that. His strong father, gentle mother, laid out on the cold, stainless steel slab, their faces so familiar, yet, so strange in their silence. He couldn't bear to remember them like that. And, God help him, he wouldn't be able to stand seeing Kira like that. Kira, who was always laughing, who loved life more than anyone he knew, Kira, who lit up a room whenever she walked inside of it, he didn't want to see her like that.

Not her.

"Oh, Jeremy," Trembling, weak fingers slid around his arm as the owner collapsed on the bench beside him. "…What are we gonna do?" Elena gasped through a strangled sob.

And that's when everything; the stress, the sadness, the anger, the disbelief, that's when it all seemed to swell up, expanding, surrounding him until he couldn't breath through the pain…and then, it crashed down on him.

"Oh God!" Jeremy sobbed into his arms, breaking under the insurmountable pressure as great heaving cries fell from his lips, the tears coursing unceasingly down his cheeks. "Oh God! Oh God!"

...

She gasped.

Sharp, panicked breaths of air as her sapphire eyes darted frantically around her.

Trees. She could see trees.

What? Wher-? Why wa-? Where was she?!

Her thoughts spun chaotically, not making sense as she stumbled gracelessly to her feet.

What was she doing here? Where was here? How? What was happening?!

Dizziness took her, the world beneath her feet spinning uncomprehendingly as she fell.

"Ah!" Crying out with pain, she looked down to see she'd landed on a large log of wood, the momentum of her fall jarring through her shoulder.

Clutching the bruised joint, Kira staggered to her feet, her eyes wide as she slowly spun around, trying to work out where on earth she was, and, more importantly, how she'd gotten there in the first place.

It was at that point, she saw the water. Not five feet away lay a river she was intimately familiar with, having run along its edge more times than she could count as a child. As if the realisation had summoned its counterpart, Kira finally realised why she was having such trouble keeping her feet. She was standing on a riverbed. Looking behind her, the tall trees rose up imposingly, but she recognised them.

She was an hours walk from Mystic Falls, deep in the woods that surrounded the wealthy town.

Her brows drew down in bewilderment. What in God's name was she doing here?!

The longer she was awake the more thoughts started to come back to her.

The party. She'd be at…the bonfire party. Of course.

Looking down at her clothes, she grimaced at the drenched, ripped skinny jeans and satin green tank top she'd chosen as an outfit last night. Picking up a lock of her matted, waist-length hair, a shiver of disgust travelled down her spine as she caught sight of the countless grains of sand littered throughout the once pristine mane.

Gross.

Turning around, Kira looked up at the noonday sun moodily before picking her direction and setting off at a brisk walk towards town.

Her parents were going to kill her. Seriously, how was she meant to explain waking up deep in the forest, clearly having somehow floated her way up to a small riverbed?! That just-! Things like that didn't just happen!

_"What's wrong with Elena?" Her Father whispered to her with concern as she slipped inside, closing the car door behind her._

_"She broke up with Matt," Kira explained, sharing a look filled with understanding with her mother as she clicked the seatbelt into place._

She lost her footing, barely managing to catch herself at the last moment as the image flashed through her mind.

What was-? Of course, last night. Shaking her head, Kira tried desperately to navigate the confused mess of her memory, pressuring herself to remember more.

She'd been at the party, but then…

_"Elena," Kira groaned, throwing a look at Caroline's amused face before reluctantly following after her sister's figure. "Elena, come on, let me just get Tyler to walk us home, alright?" She didn't want to bother their parents at this hour, especially with Elena as tipsy as she was, but her older twin was having none of it._

That's right! Elena, she was-she was upset about Matt. They'd…had they left the party? Resuming her walk towards town, she carded her fingers through her slowly drying locks, glaring at the pine-needle covered ground as she silently berated herself for her uncharacteristically muddled thoughts.

_Glancing back over her shoulder, the orange glow of the bonfire illuminating the tops of the trees, she felt her face drop with disappointment before she pulled herself together, nodding silently at her parents as she followed Elena into the backseat._

So she had-! Yes. She remembered getting into the car. But then why-?

_"Grayson! Look out!" Miranda screamed, the headlights cold on the empty bridge road._

The memory ripped through her mind, freezing everything in its path.

Her feet froze mid-step.

No.

No, it wasn't-! It wasn't possible!

She would have remembered!

_Her stomach dropped as they crashed through the safety barrier, her mother and sister's frightened screams not able to drown out the sound of her Dad's yell as he lost control of the car and they went sailing through the air. _

No. No!

Her legs were moving before she'd even fully understood what her memory was telling her. Flying through the forest with a speed she'd never before achieved.

Please, God, don't let it be true, Kira prayed, closing the distance between her and the Falls swiftly.

It couldn't be true!

Skidding to a stop at an outcrop, her heart plummeted as she saw the dozens of police officers and park rangers dragging the water, a tall crane lifting a familiar car from the depths of the water.

No.

...

_I'd really appreciate any feedback you can give me :) Thanks!_


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries

Kira groaned as she looked up at Caroline from where she was lazily laying across the blonde's bed.

She didn't know how much longer she could take this. When she had imagined death, it certainly hadn't been an eternity of watching her friends and family go about their very alive lives while she was forced to simply observe.

It was hell.

And after four months of watching, she was done. Something had to change, because she was in serious danger of becoming a ghost with insanity issues.

"The red one," Kira murmured, her tone depressed as she pouted up at her oblivious best friend. Caroline was holding two different scarves up to the mirror, testing them as she turned her head this way and that. "You never did listen to me," She snorted, leaping from the bed.

Storming down the corridor, Kira walked through the open front door and set off towards the school at a brisk pace.

She was just so tired of being dead. Which sounded as strange as it was, but honestly, she'd give anything for the oblivion of nothing. Was she going to be forced to watch the world, alone, unable to interact with anyone, for the rest of time?!

It was like some sort of sick joke!

…

"It's all about the coffee, Aunt Jenna," Elena smiled tiredly at her young guardian, saying nothing when Jeremy rudely took the cup she'd just poured for herself out of her hands.

"Your first day of school and I'm totally unprepared. Lunch money?"

Elena shook her head. "I'm good."

"Anything else? A number two pencil? What am I missing?" Jenna stressed, clearly at a loss.

"Don't you have a big presentation today?" She asked, looking at the clock on the wall behind Jenna as she did so.

"I'm meeting with my thesis advisor at…now. Crap!" Her aunt cursed, her face falling as the morning she'd envisioned going completely differently collapsed around her ears.

"Go," Elena urged, making a shooing motion with her hands. "We'l be fine." As soon as Jenna was gone, throwing her a thankful smile over her shoulder, Elena turned to Jeremy. "You okay?"

Light brown eyes snapped up to lock with hers, a warning fire in their depths that told her more successfully than words ever could how little he was interested in talking to her.

"Don't start."

Watching her little brother stalk out of the kitchen, she couldn't help but sigh, her eyes catching on the mug he'd been using and for some reason had left, full of coffee, on the bench top.

Her heart clenched painfully when she recognised the silly 'cool as a cucumber' mug that Kira had used religiously every morning since they were twelve.

Elena had bought her sister the mug for her birthday, finding the words funny, especially when her twin's love for the vegetable was a well-known fact to the family. But Kira had loved that mug, much more than Elena had thought she would. The blue-eyed girl would smile every morning she took the mug from the spot she'd reserved for it in the cupboard. In fact, its appearance was often the only thing that could improve Kira's notoriously bad morning mood.

She set down the plain black cup in her hand, having loss whatever enthusiasm she'd felt for the hot beverage it contained.

Would it always be like this?

Constantly thinking what they would be doing if they were here? What they would say? How they'd react?

She'd gone to say something to Kira so many times this summer she'd lost count. Small things, like when she noticed the tulips that her sister loved so much growing just outside Mr Dowd's back door. And the big things, like how she was supposed to act around Matt now that they'd broken up? How she was supposed to act so that the awkwardness would go away. Her sister was always the one she'd ask.

Always.

Taking a deep breath, Elena pushed down the lump rising in her throat, mentally telling herself to get it together as she heard Bonnie's car horn blare from outside.

They weren't coming back. None of them.

She had to accept that.

…

Breathing deeply, Caroline took a moment to compose herself before plastering a bright smile on her lips and pushing open her car door.

"Caroline! Oh my God! It's so good to see you!" Casey Chambers, a wanna-be cheerleader, immediately cornered her, her beady brown eyes running over Caroline's figure, looking for imperfections. "I feel like it's been ages!" The strawberry blonde girl exclaimed dramatically.

Caroline smiled, forcibly shoving down her anger as the insipid girl unknowingly made an insensitive comment about her summer of grieving.

She hadn't believed her Mum when she first told her the news. These things happened, she, of course, knew that. But they didn't happen to people she knew!

When her Mum had finally managed to get her to understand, to realise that this wasn't some wacked-up joke, she'd been…it hadn't been pretty. Caroline had refused to come out of her room for days. She hadn't eaten, she'd refused every plea her mother called through her bedroom door to come out so they could talk about it. She didn't want to talk about it. What was there to talk about?! Her mum couldn't make this go away! She couldn't turn back time and stop Kira from getting into that car. Talking about it wasn't going to change anything! Help anything!

After four days of doing nothing but laying in her bed listening to Kira's voicemail message over and over again, her mum had finally called in reinforcements, not knowing what else to do.

_"Pumpkin?" Caroline's eyes darted to her locked bedroom door at the sound of her Dad's calm, warm tones. "Pumpkin, it's me…Dad."_

_A sob bubbled up her throat as a new wave of pain crashed over her and Caroline had to clamp a hand over her mouth to muffle the sound. _

_"Go away!" She shouted, only it came out as a broken sob, only worrying the pair of adults on the other side of her door even more. _

_"Caroline," Bill's voice was soft, filled with shared grief. "I know you're sad. I know you miss her. I do too. So does your mother. But locking yourself away from the world isn't going to help."_

_Staring out her window at the blue sky, Caroline felt her heart pound angrily against her chest as her father's words echoed inside her mind. _

_"If I open that door,…" She began, and she could practically see her parents leaning closer to the wood to hear her voice. "…Kira won't be there. If I open that door,…I'll be…it'll be real."_

_"Oh, darling," Her mother's tearful voice was clear through the wood and Caroline suddenly remembered how very much the stern Sherif had loved her best friend. _

_Kira Gilbert had practically lived at the Forbes house, her presence was a constant fixture inside its walls. _

_"It will be real whether you open that door or not, Caroline," Bill cleared his throat uncomfortably, searching for the right words. "But you'll never forgive yourself if you miss the chance to say goodbye."_

_Without permission, Caroline's eyes found the simple black dress hanging over the back of her vanity's chair._

_"…It's today?" The question was small, afraid, and Caroline clutched the stuffed rabbit in her arms closer to her chest. _

_"If you want to make it…we'll have to leave in thirty minutes, darling," Her mother's sad words came through the door, making the image of the dress blur as tears once again gathered in her eyes._

_The funeral. Where they'd bury her best friend. _

"Yes, Casey," She smiled a fake smile at the girl, despising her presence. "It has been a while, but thankfully for you, I've had time to make up some new routines this summer." Just as she had been expecting, the girl's face dropped.

She knew very well that Casey had practiced the old routines over the summer, determined to know them by heart by the time try-outs came around. Unfortunately for her, Caroline didn't like her, and she certainly hadn't appreciated the pointed comment about her having cancelled cheer camp this summer after the news.

What? Did the girl think she'd gone soft?

"B-b-but!" Casey stuttered, her face devastated.

Caroline smiled sunnily. "See you around, Casey."

With that, she side-stepped the strawberry blonde girl and continued on her way towards her locker, determined not to think of the girl who'd always occupied the one on her right for as long as she could remember.

…

"Well done, Elena," Kira drawled, swinging her legs in the air as she adjusted her perch on one of the sinks in the boy's bathroom. "Real stellar move," She continued sarcastically, sapphire eyes flashing angrily as she saw the lack of reaction in her older sister's eyes. "Confronting a teenage boy at school, in front of his peers, where he won't feel the need to put on a front of machoism at all." Glowering at her twin, Kira wasted no time in following Elena out of the men's room as her sister turned to leave.

Didn't Elena know Jeremy at all? Yeah, he was doing drugs, yeah, that was really bad, and yeah, Kira grimaced, he was sleeping with slutty Vicki Donovan, but getting up in his face about it? He was a teenage boy who'd just lost most of his family and the majority of his support system, he wasn't going to give up the only coping mechanism he had. Especially not because judgemental Elena told him to.

"Uh, pardon me."

Not recognising the voice, Kira perked up with interest and quickly pushed up on her tippy toes, trying to see over Elena's shoulder.

"Um…Is this the men's room?" The very good-looking guy asked Elena with a strange look.

Kira snorted, smirking at the predictable blush that quickly spread over her sister's cheeks as she stared up at the hot newcomer.

Sapphire orbs trailed over the guy, analysing what she saw with keen eyes. Nice jaw, great hair, and his body was definitely impressive by anyone's standards.

"Yes," Elena stumbled over her words. "Um, I was just, um-" Kira rolled her eyes, moving around Elena to get out into the hall. "It was just-It's a long story," Her twin smiled hopelessly, and Kira raised her eyebrow at the curious spark that had lit up her sister's eyes. "Just…Thank-you," Elena finished awkwardly.

She liked him, Kira realised with a smirk, finding humour in the first real attraction to another person she could see in her sister's eyes. Elena must be reeling. Compared to the non-existent chemistry between her sister and Matt, Elena must think that the world itself had stopped when she saw the new student.

Loosing her interest as quickly as it had been piqued, Kira rolled her eyes and glared at the staring couple, fed-up with the cutesy eye-contact and sweaty palms.

"God, Elena, come on!" She groaned. "You've got history, and Tanner is not going to take it easy on you."

This is what she'd been reduced to, she thought furiously. Following her 'wall-flower' sister around town and actually finding interest in the first meetings of the guy who could very well be Elena's second boyfriend.

Turning on her heel, Kira stalked away, glowering blackly at the Lino covered floor beneath her feet.

When she'd finally realised that she was dead, it was…surreal.

It was like nothing had changed. Except her mum and dad weren't there.

For the first few weeks she hadn't really understood how she could be both there, and not there at the same time. She'd gone to everyone in town, hoping against hope that someone would be able to see her, but no-one could. Once that fact had sunk in, everything had taken a turn for the worse.

Everyday her irritation and frustration grew.

She'd never been a very patient person, and she was already at the end of her rope. She could not go on simply observing the life that she was no longer apart of, continue on without her there. She couldn't handle it. Who she was, the social, charming, bull-headed girl that everyone couldn't help loving despite her stubbornness; it wasn't within her to simply watch.

And so, everyday, her anger had grown. Her frustration had heightened. It had gotten to the point that she could barely stand her own company!

"It's not fair!" She spat through tightly gritted teeth, hands clenched tightly at her sides as she practically ran down the plain suburban street. "I just-! Urgh!" She screamed, coming to an abrupt stop on the footpath.

Gripping her smooth hair between her fingers, Kira pulled painfully at the roots, needing something to happen. For something to change. Just something that gave her the smallest inkling of hope that this wasn't it! That it was going to get better!

Furious beyond reason, a scream slipped past her lips as she threw her arms out in a violent sweep of motion.

Pain exploded along the side of her hand and she instinctively clutched the injured appendage close to her body as her raging emotions instantly settled.

Looking down at her hand with bewilderment, sapphire eyes widened with shock as she saw the angry gash that was seeping blood slowly purpling as the surrounding area started to bruise.

How?

Eyes flicking up, she staggered back as she saw a tin mailbox lying broken against the grass.

She'd knocked it over.

Eyes flickering between her injured hand and the proof that she'd interacted with the living world, her mind raced a mile a minute.

She'd had a lot of time to figure out the 'rules'.

You could go anywhere, use anything, as long as it changed nothing in the real world. She could lay on Caroline's bed for a long as wanted, but when she got up, the sheets wouldn't be ruffled, her presence going unseen.

If she walked into a room and someone closed the door behind her, she couldn't simply open it. That would be changing something, that would be interacting with the living. You had to wait the however many excruciatingly long hours it took for someone to open that door before you could leave.

This rule was absolute.

…So how had she knocked over the mailbox?

...

_What did you think? Did you like it? _


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries

Staring down at the blank pages of her journal, Elena hesitated to put pen to paper, guilt roiling through her.

_Dear Diary,_

_Today was…not what I expected. It was awful, just as I knew it would be. Painful, not to have Kira there beside me, to not walk down the stairs to the smell of mum's famous back to school pancakes, but…something…unexpected happened. _

_So many people came up to me in the halls, in between classes, all telling me how sorry they were about what had happened; about Kira. Surprisingly, most of them seemed really sincere, but I guess I expected that, my sister is…was…very popular. _

_It was when all the walls started to close in on me, the condolences running into each other, becoming too much, that it happened. _

_I ran into him._

_Stefan Salvatore. Handsome, thoughtful, intelligent, I've never felt like this before. Around any boy. He sets my heart racing! At dinner, while Caroline was grilling him for details, I had to constantly pull myself back, tell myself to calm down so I didn't make a fool out of myself. _

_That's when I realised…he was staring at me. _

_Stefan Salvatore, the new guy, the guy that every girl in school was talking about…he was staring at __**me**__. _

_I'm not used to this. I know I'm pretty, very pretty, but when your sister looked liked my sister did…I'm never the first choice. Never. _

_Except now. _

_Kira wasn't there tonight. She wasn't at school yesterday, or today. And people actually noticed me. Me; Elena Gilbert. For the first time in a long time…I wasn't just Kira Gilbert's older twin sister. I was Elena. Stefan wanted to know if__** I**__ was going to the party. Me. No-one else._

_And it felt good._

_How am I supposed to feel about that?! _

_I can't help thinking about how everything would have been different if Kira were still alive. Stefan would have seen her in class and suddenly all thoughts of me would have flown out of his head, just like it did with every other guy. _

_But she isn't here, is she? My twin, my little light of everyone's eye. _

_...And for just a moment, just __**one**__ minute moment…I was glad…_

Staring down at the horrendous words reflecting back at her, Elena felt her stomach churn with nausea and she shoved the journal away from her as if it were poison.

She was a monster! To even think it, to even feel it! A broken cry rose up her throat and Elena bit her lip harshly as her eyes filled with tears.

Jumping to her feet, she carded her fingers roughly through her hair, throwing helpless looks at the discarded journal lying face-up on the floor.

She missed her sister! She did! Her heart ached every time she walked past Kira's closed bedroom door. Every-time she went to borrow a piece of clothing expecting a sharp, reluctant 'fine' to meet her request, only to find her way to her sister's much-loved closet clear. Kira's familiar, petite figure no longer there to bar her way.

It was as she was spinning on her heel, about to commence another pace across her room that she saw it. Movement outside her window.

Freezing where she stood, a lump forming in her throat, Elena slowly crept closer to the window, poking her head around the sheer curtain for a better look.

Stefan Salvatore's handsome faced stared up at her from the lawn below, a sexy half-smile pulling up the right side of his mouth.

And just like that her guilt-ridden thoughts from before vanished, excited anticipation taking their place.

Smiling, she quickly turned back around and raced out of her room, hurrying down the stairs to the closed front door.

Wrapping her hand around the doorknob, Elena took a moment to calm her nervousness before she opened the door, smiling at the sheepish guy standing on her porch.

"I know it's late. But, uh…" He stepped closer. "I needed to know that you were okay."

Warmth spread through her chest. "You know, for months, that's all anyone's wondered about me. If I'll be okay."

"What do you tell them?" Stefan asked curiously, and it was the honest interest in his hazel eyes that undid her heart.

"That I'll be fine."

"Do you ever mean it?"

Unbidden, her thoughts returned to the discarded journal laying on her floor upstairs, to the words that had poured out of her guilt-ridden heart.

"Ask me tomorrow," Elena smiled a small smile, leaning against the door. "It's warmer in the house. We can talk." Hesitating only a moment, she nodded to herself. "Would you like to come in?"

Stefan's face took on a curiously heavy expression, his eyes staring into hers with a weight of wisdom she was unaccustomed to.

Finally, he answered. "…Yes."

…

Staring up at the familiar weatherboard house, sapphire eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

She'd been going over everything in her mind for a while now, trying to find some sort of explanation for how she'd been able to interact with the living world, and her thoughts had led her back to a hazy memory from her first moments awake in hell.

When she'd woken up in the woods, the small pebbles of the riverbed digging into her back, her thoughts had been…jumbled. Incoherent. Her emotions had been out of control, a tempest that had controlled her until she forced herself to calm.

She hadn't remembered it until yesterday, but in those first minutes of her new existence as a spirit, she'd fallen down, hitting a log.

She'd bruised her shoulder joint, felt pain.

The mailbox was actually the second time she'd successfully interacted with the living world.

She'd tried everything she could think of to try to replicate the two events. But nothing worked!

So here she was, outside Sheila Bennet's house, waiting for her to come back from the university and open her front door.

While Bonnie had been Elena's best friend, she and Kira had been very close. The stories of her Grams' problem with alcohol and her crazy stories about witches and psychics had been around for a long time. Understandably, Kira had never given the rumours and unkind whispers a second thought, enjoying the old woman's caustic humour too much to avoid her presence.

Until now.

Life after death did exist. That, she now knew for a fact. And, if that was true, if that question was answered, how many other things were true?

Her patience exhausted, not knowing what else to do, Kira had walked here, determined to enter Sheila Bennet's home and observe her for however long it took until she was satisfied.

Bright yellow headlights on the darkened road made her turn her head to the old pick-up truck chugging down the street. Seeing the familiar features of the woman behind the windshield, Kira pushed off the car she'd been leaning against for the last two hours.

With a loud, high-pitched whine, Sheila Bennet forced open the rusting car-door with her foot, her hands filled with college papers and research for the class she taught up at Whitmore.

"Finally," Kira grumbled under her breath, crossing the street until she was walking right beside the rumoured witch as she moseyed her way up to her front-door.

As soon as she'd unlocked the fly-wire, pushing the plywood door open, Kira was slipping past her, inviting herself inside.

Without any guilt whatsoever for invading the older woman's privacy, Kira crossed the room, her eyes locked on the bursting bookcase in the cluttered living room. Glancing back at Sheila, seeing her taking off her thick coat and scarf, she returned her attention to the lettering on the books' spines, tilting her head in order to read the faded gold lettering and weathered ink.

Nothing. There was nothing here.

Sighing with disappointment, Kira straightened up, following Sheila into her modest kitchen and plopping down onto one of the old island chairs. With her chin cupped in her hand, her elbow resting on the granite counter-top, she spent the next thirty minutes watching the sixty-five year old woman make herself dinner.

What was she even waiting for? Kira had no idea what she was hoping would happen. The bitter thoughts turned her already dark mood blacker, and she glared across at Sheila as if her maddening predicament was entirely her fault.

Just as she was beginning to give up, her mind moving to any other possible option open to her, something changed.

Like a breeze had rushed through the house, the mood abruptly changed, Sheila's wrinkled face turning harsh as she got up from her chair, depositing her empty dishes in the sink.

Kira straightened, sapphire eyes widening with interest.

With methodical movements that spoke of both caution and habit, Sheila began moving around the house, pulling shut the curtains that lined each window.

What was she doing?

With a sharp jerk, the metal rings scraping against the plastic bar they rested on, the last curtain was pulled into place, plunging the house into absolute privacy.

Getting up off the stool, Kira quickly followed after the older woman, watching with raised eyebrows as she removed the colourful table-cloth off an out-of-the-way trunk that she'd never noticed before. Slipping a hand into her skirt, Sheila retrieved a key, sliding it into the old-fashioned lock securing the trunk.

"Woah…" The exclamation slipped from her lips without permission as Kira sank to her knees beside Bonnie's grandmother, her eyes running over the massive amount of occult items hidden inside.

There were candles, incense, knives, herbs, and books, tens of books.

"Holy crap," Kira breathed, a bark of laughter escaping her as she watched Sheila reach in and take out two of the incredibly old tomes and three candles.

The moment the Bennet woman lifted the book's cover, Kira was there, her eyes flying over the pages, determined to soak in as much information as she could before the page was turned.

Spells. They were spells.

"So, you are a witch…" She murmured to herself, running her fingers over the words on the page before Sheila covered them with her own.

Bonnie's grandmother spent the next three hours painstakingly searching the volumes for something, and Kira was right there with her, her quick mind soaking in the unknowingly shared information with hungry eyes. She learnt a lot in those three small hours. The books not only filled with spells, but history, philosophy, as if whoever had written them endeavoured to teach more than the simple 'how' of magic, but the morals too.

That was how she learned that Sheila was a 'servant of nature', bound by the rules of the spirits of witches that came before her. The same witch spirits that kept watch over things from the 'other side'.

The other side.

Where she was.

Swallowing, Kira shook herself firmly, shoving the pity-filled thoughts aside. She didn't have time for such luxuries, not when she was finally getting some answers. Finally!

She read, along with an unknowing Sheila, the spells written in the books, her eyes widening as she continued to learn the sorts of powers available to these select few individuals.

It was incredible. The power they had, the things they could do!

But when the older Bennet witch turned the next page, her movements becoming more agitated, as if she couldn't find what it was she was looking for, Kira read something she couldn't believe.

Vampires.

They were real.

In a double page spread, the writing old and hard to make out, it talked of a quick, easy-to-use defence against the fearsome creatures. Brain aneurysms. It also talked about a ring, with a lapis lazuli stone, that could be spelled so that the supernatural creatures could walk around in the day.

"No way!" Kira exclaimed, placing her entire body in front of Sheila's kneeling form, her hands coming to rest on either side of the tome as her eyes ran over the information again and again.

A life after death, she could accept. The hell that it had turned out to be was utterly unexpected, but fine. She could even accept the fact that there were witches in this world. But vampires?!

"Seriously?!" Kira breathed, glaring at the yellowing pages incredulously.

Without warning, the page turned, the incredible information lost as Sheila once again turned the page.

"No, no, no, no, no!" Kira hissed, angry beyond belief as the woman unknowingly thwarted her ability to finish reading the rest of the information.

Fury storming through her, her inability to prevent such a simple thing as someone turning a page, Kira stood upright, grabbing her chestnut hair in her fists, and screamed.

She screamed out her frustration, her fury, and her bitterness.

She couldn't go on like this any longer!

A shocked shriek from behind her interrupted her emotional outburst and, her chest heaving with anger, Kira spun around, sapphire eyes narrowed dangerously on the woman who had ignited her rage.

Sheila was flinching away from the table, her eyes wide and worried, locked on the tome she'd been reading from seconds before.

The book that was now flitting through its pages without help, the sheets of yellow paper moving furiously through the air, seemingly under its own control, until it stopped at a page very near the end.

Silence dominated the small living room as two sets of eyes stared at the suddenly still book.

Snapping out of her shock, Kira hurried over to read the newly revealed information, her eyes widening with so much shocked relief at the title at the top of the page that she almost sagged to the floor.

_The Other Side_

_It is the curse of all witches everywhere to one day end up on the other side. A place for all supernatural entities; vampires, werewolves and witches alike. Our spirits are forced to wander the living world as unseen spirits, unable to interact with the living. _

_The purpose of such a place is unknown to us. How long we are forced to wander, alone, through the world, unseen, an answer we have never been given. _

_But we do know that it is not forever. _

_The time each spirit spends on the other side before moving on differs from being to being, but, eventually, they will move on. _

_Only the most powerful of witches on the other side can make their presences known in our world. Few ever have such power. But beware, those few servants of nature capable of such action answer only to themselves. Unless it is by the will of the many witches watching from the other side, take care, those working alone can never be trusted. _

...

_Please review, I'd love to hear what you think :)_


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries

Forearms resting on the wrought iron railing, Kira peered down at the busy occult shop below her.

The place had taken a bit of time to find, going off of nothing, but in the end, it had been worth it.

Leaving Mystic Falls was both the hardest and best thing she ever did.

After witnessing the powers that Bonnie's grandmother manipulated, reading that small section at the back of the grimorie, as she'd learned spell books were called, Kira had realised what she was.

A witch.

And a powerful one at that if she could interact with the world of the living.

And, finally, she'd had a purpose.

Learn.

She wanted to know…everything. Everything there was to know about witchcraft. And she wasn't going to find the answers in the six thousand people population of Mystic Falls.

In Sheila Bennet's hallway, on the stand where she kept her keys, her address book had lain open. While Kira hadn't been able to turn the pages to check, the 'D' section of the small, ancient looking address book had been filled with names. And while she knew it might come to nothing, staying in Mystic Falls, watching her life continuing on without her, wasn't an option anymore.

So, making her way to the bus stop, she'd hopped on the first bus that was heading towards one of the destinations in that small address book.

Boston.

The city she'd been in for the past two and a half months.

And she'd learned.

Dear God, the things she'd learned.

"That'll be $5, dear," The elderly woman behind the counter told the twenty something year old while passing her the small package.

"Are we still meeting tonight?" The girl asked hesitantly, casting an apprehensive look over her shoulder.

"Don't be nervous, dear," The shop owner smiled warmly, coming around the counter. "It's just a chance to meet with others like us, exchange information and ideas, to talk."

A slow smirk made its way across Kira's lips as she raised an eyebrow at the words the old witch below her had spoken.

She'd 'attended' more than a dozen of these little meetings since she found the prosperous occult shop three days after she'd arrived in the city. She'd yet to witness anything as innocent as what the older woman was describing to her nervous customer.

Half an hour later, individuals began floating in, more and more until at least twenty-five men and women, differing in ages and ethnicities, filled the two-storey shop.

"Agnes, would you like to start?" Desari, the shop owner, invited her closest friend to commence the meeting.

Without warning, all locks around the room clicked into place, venetian blinds snapping closed sharply.

The nervous young woman from before jumped in her seat, casting wide eyes around the room.

Something was different. The thought came unbidden, but Kira knew she was right.

She straightened from her leaning position against the rails.

Kira had witnessed too many of these meetings not to know the routine. Really, she couldn't have stumbled onto a better location to learn the basics of magic. Desari, the shop's owner, had taken it upon herself to guide those of her kind that needed help. To act as a teacher and mentor to those hoping to master the craft. The spells that they cast at these weekly meetings were both interesting and highly useful.

Desari, and a few of the older women, would breakdown the spell for the younger ones, explaining the whys and hows of each phrase and herbs in the order it was needed to work. She'd seen what witches could accomplish with channelling, the techniques that could be used to make your magic last longer, go farther. She'd built up quite a repertoire of spells that she now knew.

And the best thing was; she could practise.

You could still do magic on the other side. It took just as much effort, you felt the effects just the same, it just didn't affect the living world.

So when the witches learned how to control fire on her second week in Boston, Kira had been right there along with the youngest witches; taking in Desari's hints and adjustments, setting the whole upper floor ablaze.

Only, when the spell ended, not even a charred section of paper remained as evidence of her success.

But this, whatever was happening below,_ this_ wasn't normal.

"Everybody," Agnes began, "We have a very special guest here tonight; Caitlin." The sixty something year old woman swept a hand out to the sheepish looking young witch as Kira slowly descended the stairs, sapphire eyes fixed on the strange goings on. "Caitlin has only recently discovered her powers, in fact, Desari and I only bumped into her last week and convinced her to join us at our meeting tonight by chance, didn't we dear?"

"Y-yes," The young, black-haired witch nervously ducked her head, a small, shy smile pulling up the edges of her mouth.

"Indeed," Agnes smiled widely, a pregnant pause increasing the strange tension that had descended around the room. "You see, Caitlin is very special. Her magic, well, it's not very…common."

"What do mean?" Caitlin, having finally sensed the strange atmosphere in the room, rose slowly to her feet.

"What Agnes means, dear," Desari interjected with a casual tone. "Is that your magic is what we call in the common vernacular, dark magic."

With an uncomfortable feeling churning in the pit of her stomach, Kira came to a stop beside one of the more gifted witches she'd seen attending these meetings religiously. Kira peered over her shoulder, having noticed the old book she was attempting to hide in the generous material of her skirts from the top of the stairs.

"What is this?!" Caitlin's frightened demand seemed to phase no-one in the room.

Desari's usually kind face suddenly transformed into a menacing snarl. "You're dangerous, girl," She told her softly, getting slowly to her feet. "We have a duty to see to it that you never learn to use your powers."

"What are you talking about?!" The young novice exclaimed, her voice scared. "I only just found out about magic! I'm not dangerous!"

"But you are," Randal, one of the older warlocks stated quietly. "It's in your nature. You would be drawn to the darker magics of this world, you wouldn't be able to stop yourself. You'd twist nature, upsetting the balance as all of your kind does."

"My kind?!" Caitlin screamed, her dark brown eyes alighting with a hidden fire Kira hadn't expected from the timid witch. "I'm a witch! Just like you!"

"We're nothing like you!" Agnes spat, advancing on the retreating girl like a tiger stalking its prey. "We are the servants of nature. You, your magic pollutes the world."

Kira's head snapped up with surprise as all the candles around the room suddenly flared up, steady chanting beginning to fall from the lips of the gathered crowd as they all slowly rose from their seats.

What the hell was going on?!

A choking gasp from behind her had Kira spinning around, her eyes going impossibly wide as she witnessed Caitlin sink to her knees, her hands clawing at her neck.

She could see it in the young woman's eyes. She couldn't breathe.

They were going to kill her.

The realisation was like ice through her veins, chilling her.

She'd watched these people for almost three months now, seen the care that they took coaching the younger members that came to them for help. She was a good judge of character. Always had been. But never once in her wildest dreams had she imagined that the kind-hearted people she'd learned so much from, would murder an innocent witch for reasons she didn't fully understand.

And that made her mad.

Staring down at the slowly suffocating Caitlin, a feeling of terrible helplessness settled over her, quickening her heart.

She wanted to step in. To do something. To stop them.

Without permission, her newly found magic flared to life, conjuring a strong wind. Breathing deeply, her anger churning her emotions to new heights, the wind grew in strength until wails of noise were screaming around bookshelves, whipping her long, chestnut hair high in the air.

"Please-!" Caitlin gasped, the pain of their combined attack making tears stream from her eyes. "S-stop!"

Nothing moved.

Her energy left her in a rush.

Kira stumbled to the right, barely managing to grab the counter-top beside her in time.

Caitlin fell to the floor. Dead.

…

Elena climbed the stairs slowly, forcing her feet to keep moving, to keep climbing.

She had to be strong.

She shouldn't have run away when she saw that picture on Stefan's table. It was the coward's way out, and Elena shook her head at herself, angry that she'd let her fears and insecurities stop her from confronting Stefan like she should have done.

She could almost hear Kira's voice in her head as she made her way up to Stefan's room. Her sister's sharp voice telling her that she couldn't let Stefan treat her this way. That it was her right to demand answers, and God help him if the younger Salvatore brother didn't have answers.

Elena smiled grimly.

Her twin wouldn't have run. If Kira had just spent the night with Stefan only to find a picture from 1864 of her mirror image, all hell would have broken loose.

She needed to be stronger.

With that thought flashing through her mind, Elena straightened her shoulders and stalked through the open doorway in front of her.

"Hi," She said shortly.

Stefan's face was the picture of guilt as he stared back at her. "Hi," He murmured softly.

"You could have told me," Elena forced her face to show nothing but confidence, determined to keep her pride.

"I wanted to tell you," Stefan stepped forward hesitantly, his eyes sincere.

"You said no more lies. Only the truth." Refusing to let this be swept under the rug, Elena crossed her arms, piercing her boyfriend with a serious look. "I can handle the truth, Stefan. As crazy as it is, I can handle the fact that you're a vampire. And you have a vampire brother. And that my best friend is a witch. I can accept the fact that the world is a much more mysterious place than I ever thought possible. But this…this lie, I can't take." Forcing herself to be strong, Elena ignored the hurt that seeped into Stefan's hazel eyes as she spoke. She wouldn't be a doormat. To anyone. "What am I to you? Who am I to you?" She demanded.

"You are not Katherine," As if he was waiting for her to ask that exact question, the words spilled from Stefan in a rush. "You are the opposite of everything that she was."

"And when did you figure that out?" Elena shot back. "Before you kissed me? … Before we slept together?" Hurt churned through her stomach, but she forced it back, determined to get her answers.

"Before I met you," Stefan told her quietly.

A frown pricked at the skin between her eyebrows. "What?"

Stefan took a deep breath, exuding a calming air as he slowly approached her, as if willing her not to spook. "The first day of school, when we met,…it wasn't for the first time, Elena."

What was he talking about?! Of course it was for the first time! She'd have remembered seeing him prior to that if what he was saying was true. She would have remembered!

"Then when was it?" The question slipped from her lips before she even knew what she was saying.

"…May 23rd, 2009."

Elena stumbled back, feeling like she'd just been punched in the stomach. "B-but that was-!"

"That was the day your parents' car went off the bridge."

"You were there?!" Her voice came out as a hoarse whisper, the awful, terrifying memories coming back in a rush.

"Every couple of years, I come back here to see Zach and see my home. Last spring…I was out in the woods by old Wickery Bridge, and I heard the accident. All of it." A hand came up to cover her mouth as she stared at Stefan, horrified by the picture he was painting. "I was fast getting there, but not fast enough." Oh God! "The car was already submerged. You dad was still- he was still conscious. I was able to get to him, but he wouldn't let me help him, not until I helped you…you and your sister."

"Oh my God!" The hurt saturating her own voice was painful, and Elena saw Stefan's eyes fill with pity as he stared back at her. "When I woke up in the hospital, nobody could figure out how I got out of the car. They said it was a miracle."

"I went back for them. But it was too late. I couldn't- I couldn't save them." As Stefan talked, the lump in Elena's throat grew thicker, re-experiencing the world shattering moment right alongside him, all over again. "When I pulled you out, I looked at your face. You looked like Katherine," She could practically hear the overwhelming confusion that had stormed through her boyfriend at that moment. "I couldn't believe the resemblance. After that, I spent months making sure that you weren't her. I watched you. I learned everything that I could about you…I'm so sorry that I didn't tell you. I wanted to. But you were so sad."

"…Why do I look like her?"

"Elena, you've been through so much-"

"Why do I look like her, Stefan? What are you not telling me?" She demanded.

"…It didn't make any sense to me," Stefan admitted reluctantly. Watching her carefully. "You were a Gilbert. She was a Pierce. But the resemblance was too similar…And then I learned the truth...You were adopted, Elena."

Adopted? But…how?!

"How do you know that?"

"Your birth certificate from the city records. It says Elena Gilbert. Mystic Falls General. But there's no record of your mother ever being admitted. There's no record of her ever being pregnant!"

But…but what about- "Kira?" Her tone was lost, desperate, as she asked about her sister.

Stefan nodded once. "She was your full-blooded sister, Elena. Her birth certificate had the same information as yours did. Everything."

Without knowing exactly why, Elena felt relief storm through her at his words. While her relationship with her twin had been complicated, and intense, to this day, Kira remained to be the most…impressive person Elena knew. There was just something about her sister. A light, an aura, something that was inescapable, special. And while she'd envied, resented, even been jealous of her, Elena had been proud to call Kira her sister.

Her twin.

No-one else's.

"What else do you know?"

"For me to go any further, I would've had to look into the Pierce family, and I couldn't do that. It's too much of a risk. If someone found out I was asking about Katherine - Listen to me," Stefan crossed the space between them quickly, bringing his hands up to cup her face. "It doesn't matter. You are the woman that I love. I love _you._"

Staring up into his handsome face, Elena melted.

And it was at that moment, when her world re-righted itself, when her fears were put to rest, that the full enormity of what he'd just said crashed over her.

He'd saved her. Her father, he'd refused Stefan's help, not until…Oh god…

Kira.

He'd chosen to save her…over Kira.

"Don't tell Jeremy or the others, Stefan," The words spilled from her, laced with urgency as she grabbed a-hold of her boyfriend's forearms.

Content hazel eyes took on a worried, confused edge as he read the honest fear in Elena's face.

"Of course not," He tried to reassure her, rubbing her arms comfortingly. "Telling them that you're adopted is entirely your decision, I would never-"

"No, not that!" Elena cut him off sharply, waving a hand through the air as if to sweep away the topic entirely. "About the accident. About pulling me out of the car. Saving me."

She could see from his eyes that he didn't understand.

"Elena-"

"You picked me!" She stated strongly, grabbing his hands in hers. "Me, Stefan…Kira was in the back of the car too." Didn't he understand?! Her twin had been well-loved…more loved than her, Elena knew that.

Stefan's face took on a thunderous expression, his brow drawing down as the full realisation of what she was trying to tell him dawned on him.

"Elena!" He frowned, pulling her close. "Why would you even think-! Jeremy would never wish that I had saved your sister instead of you!" His voice was so dismayed, so angry on her behalf that Elena had to close her eyes against the tears that blurred his image.

He didn't understand. Stefan hadn't known Kira, he hadn't been here…before. And she loved that. She loved that Stefan didn't know her as anything but Elena Gilbert, that he'd never even thought of her as Kira Gilbert's older sister. But most of the people in Mystic Falls had.

"I know that," Elena whispered. "I know that Jeremy would never pick between us, that's not…" She struggled to find the words to explain. "They'd be grateful, Stefan, they would…At first. But then, they'd start thinking about who else was in that car." Staring up into his uncomprehending eyes, Elena's heart hurt. "They'd never forgive you for not at least trying to save Kira as well."

Stefan drew back, staring down at her through guarded eyes.

"…Do you feel the same way?" He asked softly.

The question hit her with the force of a battering-ram.

No.

No…she didn't.

For the first time, Elena realised the truth.

She didn't feel the same way.

Because despite how much she missed her sister, how very much she loved Kira; if her twin had survived the car accident, if Stefan had been able to save her too…Elena's life would be very different right now.

And she liked her life now.

More than she liked living under Kira Gilbert's shadow.

"No," Elena whispered, pulling Stefan close. "No,…I understand…You had to choose."

…


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries

…

"Go around back!"

"Are you crazy?! They'll hear me!"

"Not to mention smell him, Gregor!"

"Then be quick about it! We haven't got the time to argue about this!"

"But-!"

"For fuck's sake! We'll be coming through the front, with any luck they'll be too distracted to even hear you!"

"_'With any luck'_?! You're insane!"

"Just do it!"

Looking at the anxious face of twenty-five year old Hank, Kira couldn't help feeling sorry for him as he wilted under the enormous power of Gregor's grey glare. At sixty years of age, the warlock was the most intimidating person Kira had ever seen. Standing at 6'3, looking not a year over fourty, the man was a tower of power. Not to mention, he was one of the most powerful magic-users she'd come across since leaving Mystic Falls.

She'd left Boston over a month ago. The night Caitlin had been killed. And she'd learned a valuable lesson there. Just because she was a witch did not mean that she could trust her own kind. Despite the powers wielded, they were governed by the same flaws, the same desires, ambitions and emotions that all human beings were. Which meant all that witch solidarity crap that she'd heard spouted off too many times to count since she'd started seeking out servants of nature to learn from them, meant absolutely nothing.

Still, since leaving Boston, finding magic users hadn't exactly been easy.

But she had learned.

Occult shops, troubadours, psychics - they were the first places to look. Then you just followed the rumours.

Which is what brought her here. To Lincoln, Nebraska. Tailing a powerful warlock who was the patriarch of a dwindling family, with only one daughter and grandson with the gift. But it was through him that she'd seen her first vampires. And by God, they were nothing like she'd imagined.

Impossibly fast, blood-thirsty and immoral - the species seemed insurmountable. Gregor had taught her differently. When a servant of nature was powerful enough, cunning enough, knowledgable enough, a vampire stood no chance.

He had a fearsome reputation.

And tonight, his grandson, Jason, had been taken by a group of vampires, determined to blackmail Gregor into doing their bidding.

"…Fine," The young warlock, Hank, seemed to shrink under the murderous grey eyes of such a powerful figure.

"Let's go," Gregor barked at the small group of warlocks he'd managed to call together since finding the message that had been left outside his daughter's house.

Moving with the larger group, Kira couldn't help glancing over her shoulder to watch young Hank disappear around the corner, following his leader's instructions despite his obvious misgivings.

She'd been watching Gregor for two weeks now. She knew without a doubt that the warlock didn't give a damn if Hank survived tonight or not.

He was a user.

Hank was nothing more than a distraction.

Turning back towards the main group, Kira shook her head, hurrying to catch up as they cast a spell to silence the enormous hinges on the warehouse's door. Following at their heels, sapphire eyes took in everything. From the careful way each man forced his breathing to calm, hoping the vampires inside didn't hear their heartbeats, to the way Gregor walked briskly inside, already knowing that surprising their adversary was nigh on impossible.

"Well, well, well," From out of the shadows, a short, skinny man emerged. "A house call? I guess I should consider myself honoured." And with that, dangerous, sharp fangs descended from the vampire's gums, flashing threateningly at the quintet of warlocks glaring defiantly back at him.

…

"Oh, god," Jenna pulled away from Alaric, shaking her head. "I can't believe I'm about to do this."

"What?" The cute history teacher asked with a slight grin.

Jenna's shoulders sagged. "I am totally going to ruin this moment, but I - I have to tell you." Biting her lip against her anxiety, she finally just decided to come right out and say it. Wanting to be honest. "Elena recently found out that she was adopted," She blurted out, readjusting her bag strap on her shoulder when she saw the confused frown immediately draw down Alaric's face. "She's been looking for her birth mother,…whose name, was…Isobel."

Alaric jerked back, looking down at her with total bewilderment. "Isobel? Like my wife?"

Jenna nodded hesitantly, chewing her lip.

He shook his head. "Isobel never had a baby."

Babies, her mind whispered. She would have had twins. Elena…and Kira.

"Are you sure? Not before you were together?"

"Nope. No way," Alaric denied with a scoff.

Not wanting to, yet needing to show him anyway, Jenna retrieved the picture from her bag and held it out to him.

"This is Elena's birth mother," She said quietly.

Alaric's face fell with hurt as he stared down at the picture, and it was at that moment that Jenna knew she'd been right. Kira and Elena's birth mother was this girl. Alaric's dead wife.

"Ah, she, uh - She never told me," He coughed uncomfortably, making Jenna look away from the raw hurt that spread across the man's face. "I, uh - I'm going to go. Yeah, I'm going to - going to go." And with that, he pushed the picture back into her hands and turned on his heel, speeding off down the sidewalk.

...

Kira moved forward, positioning herself between the two groups in order not to miss anything.

"You made an error of judgement taking my grandson, leech," Gregor stated lowly, the epitome of calm.

"Did I?" The vampire laughed, shrugged his shoulder. "It got your attention, did it not?" He grinned. "Seems to have worked out perfectly."

Gregor's grey eyes hardened. "Tell your friends to back up, scum," He warned.

Kira glanced around at the dark shadows obscuring every corner of the derelict structure. What was he talking about? She couldn't see anything! But despite her eyes' lack of vision, she was quick enough to catch the flash of unease that darted across the vampire's insipid brown eyes.

Gregor was telling the truth.

A scowl pulled down her brows and Kira flew around in her spot, her eyes piercing the darkness with determination.

Where were they?

And why couldn't she see them?!

"Two dozen vampires," Gregor murmured, his tone cold. "All for me?"

"Well," The insipid little rat running the show grinned mockingly at the warlock, frustration clear in his pacing figure. "It never hurts to be prepared, especially when you're trying to blackmail the wily Gregor, right?"

Two dozen…How did he know?!

Biting the inside of her cheek, Kira stalked slowly into the darkness, angry at her own inability to 'sense' the dangerous predators. And that must be what he was doing because no matter how much magic was slowing his ageing process, Kira was still the younger of the two, and her vision was second to none.

The woman seemed to come out of nowhere.

Jerking to a stop, Kira frowned with bewilderment as she observed the absolutely still female vampire. Her hair was dyed blonde, tied at the nape of her neck with an old scrunchy.

"Huh," Kira breathed, crossing her arms.

She'd never been this close to a vampire before. Gregor seemed to take a sadistic pleasure in killing the supernatural creatures whenever he came across them, but he tended to kill them from a distance.

Sadistic goat probably thought himself more civilised that way, she thought with grim humour.

Narrowing her eyes on the immobile vampiress, Kira bit her lip before hesitantly extending her magic. Ever since she'd discovered her powers, her ability to sense magic grew with leaps and bounds. Not in others, but in herself. Where before she'd felt nothing; now, a strong, pulsing beat of power seemed to hover just beneath her skin. Incapable of being ignored.

Not knowing exactly what she was doing, but not seeing any harm in experimenting, Kira _willed _her magic to expand, to touch the female vampire in front of her.

It was harder than she thought.

Energy seemed to drain from her dead spirit at alarming speeds, but Kira gritted her teeth, ignoring the conversation going on behind her in her determination to touch the vampire with her magic.

She knew the moment she succeeded.

Information poured into her. Most of it a jumble of nonsense, making no sense to her overloaded mind, but she felt it.

Ice. Death. Hunger.

Vampire.

Kira breathed out an exhausted laugh, staring straight at the vampire that had no idea she was looking right at her with grim triumph.

It was obvious that she'd have to practice extending her magic. Gregor's ability to do the exact same thing she had just done, but to the entire warehouse, seeming to make no impact on his power levels.

But she had a method.

Turning on her heel, Kira made the quick journey back to the centre of the warehouse only for her eyes to widen with disbelief at the scene that met her.

Clasped in the rat's arms was Jason, Gregor's seventeen-year-old grandson, and lying with wooden stakes through their hearts were the bodies of three vampires. One of the warlocks who had consented to helping Gregor rescue his family clutching at the bloody wound on his neck.

Just what had she missed?!

…

"Come on, Jeremy! We have school!" Elena called up the stairs, shrugging her messenger bag over her shoulder. "Walking out the door right now!"

"Forgot this," Jenna smiled, passing her a thermos.

"Thanks."

Opening the door, Elena found the small smile on her face fading as she took in the familiar, yet, wholly unwelcome face grinning back at her.

"Elena!" John greeted jovially.

"Uncle John," Elena stumbled over the words, casting her annoyed looking Aunt a significant glare. "Hi."

Seeing the direction of her gaze, John looked at Jenna, nodding his head. "Jenna."

"John. You made it," Jenna stated, her voice clipped.

"I said I'd be here by noon," He told her, stepping into the house.

"Oh, what you say and what you do are typically two very different things," Jenna smiled sarcastically.

"Uncle John!" Jeremy's heavy footfalls drew everyone's attention as he came barreling down the stairs. "What's up?"

"Hey!"

Elena rolled her eyes at the typical male greeting of slapping each other on the back, her feet itching to leave before John's attention somehow returned to her.

She had no idea how Kira had ever been able to stand their greasy Uncle, but Elena was sure it had something to do with the fact that her twin sister had always had something to do when John was visiting, hardly ever being in the house.

Whatever it was, her sister had never been able to understand Elena's animosity towards their Uncle. Hardly giving John a second thought herself. But whatever it was, Elena wished she possessed the same indifferent attitude at that moment. Already feeling the way her temper rose as John invited himself inside as if he owned the place.

"I had some business in town; I thought that a visit was in order," John told them, his eyes having focused on something down the hall.

"How long are you staying?"

"You alright, Uncle John?"

She and Jeremy asked at the same time, their voices crashing over each other.

John blinked, coming out of whatever daze he'd been in to look up at both of them.

"Oh, um," He shook his head once, clearing his thoughts. "I don't know yet."

Raising an eyebrow, Elena followed his eyes to the place he'd been staring at a moment before only for a lump to come to her throat.

On the left-hand side of the hall-table, Kira's beaming face smiled out at the world. Taken up at the Lake last summer, two months before the accident, her sister's hair shone dark red in the sun, her sapphire eyes enormous and inviting as a beautiful full-smile spilt her face in two.

It was a beautiful picture.

Her mum had been so thrilled with it. Wanting her Dad to blow it up so they could put it in a large frame on one of the corridor walls upstairs.

Only…he'd died.

"I-I've got to go to school," Elena's voice was croaky, attracting everyone's immediate attention, and a worried look from Jenna that she ignored. "I'll see you later."

…

"Come on," Kira growled, glaring at her empty hands through narrowed eyes. "Come on!"

At that precise moment, sparks of light shot out of her palm, making a bright grin spread across her face.

"I did it!" She laughed, pumping her fist into the air.

She'd been trying to get the spell to work for two weeks now. Ever since she'd seen Gregor light up a small, abandoned warehouse full of vampires and burn them alive, Kira had been determined to replicate the incredible feat.

It was the first time she'd had real trouble mastering a spell.

She'd noticed in her observations of the witches and warlocks in Boston that she caught on quicker than most. Her magic seeming to rise and fulfil the necessities of the spell with far more ease than others. Yet, this spell, this small, artificial light, had taken her a fortnight of dedicated work to replicate.

Looking up at the small sparks that barely lit up the small alley she was standing in, Kira frowned at the realisation that her spell was much smaller than that warlock's had been. She doubted even a semi-circle of light surrounded her, let alone a whole room, but it was a start.

Ever since that bloody, intense night two weeks ago, Gregor hadn't let his grandson out of his sight. Every minute of every day was spent ramming home as much information about vampires as possible into Jason's mind.

And Kira had been there, learning right along-side the sixteen-year-old.

Gregor was a virtual ocean of knowledge on the fast, sensitive, lethal creatures. His arrogance and conceited confidence was well-earned. The grey-eyed warlock had a steel trap for a mind, instructing his grandson to respect the strengths of the predators, just as much as learn to take advantage of their weaknesses.

Slaves to their nature, beholden to the sun; he urged Jason to think with his head when confronted by the instinct driven creatures. Telling him of a flower called vervain that protected against compulsion and was toxic to vampires when in close proximity to the herb.

The brain aneurysms that Sheila's grimoire had spoken of had been one of the first defences Gregor had taught Jason, against his daughter's wishes. But it was the priceless technique that he shared with his grandson that fascinated Kira. That enabled a magic user to take the generic, easy-to-use defence, and turn it into something much more dangerous. How to train your mind so that you could drop a vampire to its knees while simultaneously casting another spell to keep it immobile.

Kira had listened, soaking in the priceless family secrets and weapons that Gregor unknowingly gifted her with. She'd committed the meditative exercises he'd commanded Jason to begin practicing daily to memory, determined to be able to work on two castings at once, just as Gregor was able to.

He'd armed her with invaluable information, and Kira instinctively knew how lucky she was to have learned what she had.

Staring up at the small glow of conjured sunlight floating about her, Kira smiled.

…


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries

"I've no interest in the founder's day kickoff party," Jeremy groused, picking at his food.

"Sure you do," John frowned. "It's tradition."

Oh, well that made everything different, Jeremy thought with a roll of his eyes.

"It will be our role to break the tradition," Jenna said from behind them, making him smile.

"The Gilberts have been a part of this town for a hundred and fifty years. We're one of the founding families and with that distinction comes certain obligations, including going to this party." John told him, waving his fork around in the air. "One day, when you can appreciate the significance, I'll tell you all about your heritage."

"Hmmm, the Gilbert's family legacy. I forgot how secret it was," Jenna piped up. "I'm not a Gilbert, so I was never cool enough to hear it."

Pushing his food away, Jeremy leaned back in his chair, shooting curious looks between his aunt and uncle.

"Why does she hate you?" He asked John.

Without even looking up from his dinner, John answered with a casualness that made Jeremy's jaw drop. "We used to sleep together."

Without warning, something flew through the air, hitting John on the side of the head.

"I'm standing right here!" With her arms flung out, and a furious expression on her face, Jeremy's lips twitched, unable to hold back his laughter at the comical picture his aunt made.

...

Elena pushed back the hair from her face. "I - I can't."

"Why not?" Stefan asked gently. "I mean, if he doesn't know anything this is just an innocent question."

"I don't even know how to talk to him anymore!" She exclaimed hopelessly. "I mean, he and Kira were always so much closer. She just…got him, in a way that I never seem able to," The words came out more bitter than she'd intended, and Elena bit her lip against the tears that stung her eyes.

Everything was coming apart at the seams, unravelling right before her eyes, and all she'd been able to think these past few days was how much better her twin would have been able to handle everything that was going on.

Who was she kidding?! If Kira was here, Elena knew exactly what would have happened. Jeremy would not have been compelled, her sister wouldn't have allowed it. And if Damon and Stefan had tried to anyway, she'd have marched straight up to the council and exposed who they really were; no questions asked.

And she'd have throttled Elena.

Inviting two vampires into their home? Placing their little brother at risk and Jenna in danger? Kira would have had her guts for garters.

And God help Damon if he'd even tried to turn his sarcastic quips on her sister. Kira would have hit the roof. He thought having the council suspicious was hard to live with? The younger Gilbert sister would have fought fire with fire. Forcing Damon to back down, to stop his senseless killings.

And she would have used any means necessary to do that. Up to, and including the possibility of hurting Stefan in order to force Damon to give her what she wanted.

Her sister hated being backed into a corner. She was never more cunning, more ferocious, more unyielding as when someone tried to intimidate and force her into doing something she didn't want to do.

And Damon loved forcing people to do things they didn't want to do.

Looking up into Stefan's concerned hazel eyes, Elena winced at the thought of what her sister would think of her lies. Of the position she was putting Jeremy in.

"I haven't even told him that I'm adopted yet," Elena admitted weakly, sinking onto the bed beside her boyfriend.

He took her hand in his, his thumb running soothingly over the skin on the back of her hand.

"Maybe it's time you start opening up to him again. I'm not saying you should tell him everything, but just try to find out what he does know and be prepared for it."

…

"They were _not_ kidding about the weather, were they?" Kira grumbled under her breath, skirting around the people hurrying along the footpath.

She'd always figured that the Seattle rain was an over-exaggeration. After all, if it were actually true, why the hell stay here?! But lo and behold, here she was, having just stepped off the back of a moving truck headed to the capital of Washington, and she was soaked!

"Unbelievable!" She cursed loudly, not bothering to lower her voice; no one could hear her anyway. "Dead, and I still get soaked! How is that fair?!" Looking down at her soaked figure, a pitiful pout jutted out her full bottom lip, making her look miserable.

She was dead! Why did the weather still affect her?! If she wasn't really _there _why was the frigging rain hitting her clothes and falling straight down as if nothing had halted its path?!

"Stupid rules!" Kira wiped the lock of drenched hair out of her eyes with a violent swipe. "Stupid other world! Stupid Rain!"

Heaving out a huge, sobbing breath of frustration, Kira pushed her way through the masses towards the train station she'd been heading for. As soon as she was undercover, small, pale hands gathered her hair together and proceeded to wring out the long strands right in the middle of the busy thoroughfare.

Being dead had really made an impact on her manners, she thought dryly. Knowing that she wouldn't have dreamed of acting so bratty before, especially not in broad daylight; not when the hundreds of people walking passed her would have been able to witness her rudeness.

As soon as the last drop of water fell from her hair, Kira flung it back behind her, fed-up with the long locks. She'd cut them, with magic she was now able to, but Kira had always been very attached to her mid-back length hair. One of the only things she and her sister had in common, actually.

"Now," She murmured, turning slowly on the spot. "Which way's east?"

…

"I saw that," Tyler called out, smirking as Matt's mother turned around with a guilty expression on her face.

Seeing him, her face relaxed. "We keep that between you and me," She pointed a finger between them and he nodded. "Where the lady's room?"

Staring down at his glass full of alcohol, Tyler glanced back through the doors at the boring party his parents were hosting.

He felt like he was slowly loosing his mind.

Ever since he could remember, Tyler had had a problem with his temper. Walking away from a fight was unthinkable to him, conceding defeat unfathomable. But since Kira Gilbert had been declared dead seven and a half months ago, his anger had reached new levels.

Kira had always been the person who had been able to calm him down. Always. And no small amount of that reason was because she was honestly one of the few people not afraid to do so. Matt wasn't either, but his best friend was too compassionate, too sympathetic to tell him when to pull his head in, when he was being a grade-A douche. Kira hadn't had that problem.

And when his parents' crap became too much, when the frustration, the unfairness, the sheer hypocrisy got too much for him…he'd always gone to Kira.

Because his life was a dream compared to Matt's. And he wasn't so oblivious not to know that.

They used to laugh and joke about getting out of Mystic Falls. About leaving the hypocrisy and small-town elitism behind and not looking back. They'd both dreamed of the wider world with a passion no-one else they knew seemed to share.

To Kira and Tyler, you were crazy to want to stay in Mystic Falls. To see nothing outside of a life in the small town.

Yet, wherever they looked, that was all anyone they knew aspired to. Elena never wanted to leave; it was one of the things Kira would only tell him when they got really drunk. How she couldn't understand how Elena could settle for such a small life when there was so much to see, to experience in the world. And Matt was the same way. Not looking beyond his next pay check for obvious reasons. But how do you talk to your best friend about your dreams to leave, to see the world, when to him, paradise was nothing but a secure life in Mystic Falls.

It used to drive them crazy.

But at least they'd had each other. Kindred spirits. Souls as passionate and wild as each other, Kira's even more so.

Tyler couldn't imagine anything taming Kira Gilbert.

She was a force of nature.

…And then…she was gone.

And he had no-one to talk to when it all got too much. When the world started closing in on him, the shallowness and immoral actions of petty people the only thing he could see.

"This way," Tyler looked up at Matt's mum with a suave grin, determined to take his mind off his racing thoughts. "I'll show you."

"Is that soda?" Kelly asked, taking the glass out of his hands and gulping it down before he had a chance to stop her. Her eyes widened over the rim, locking on him incredulously. "Vodka. Thank god!"

Tyler grinned.

…

Looking up at the street sign in front of her, Kira blinked, realising she was in the right place.

Without hesitation, she made her way up the quiet suburban street until she came to the fourth house. Her eyebrows rose. The house couldn't have looked more inconspicuous. Probably built five years ago, the single storey house was made of red brink and had a two car garage just off the side.

It looked like a house for the typical America couple.

Affordable. Practical. Safe.

"Right," The word drawled off her lips as she took a good look around, hoping to find something that wasn't so…freakishly normal. But nothing.

Taking a deep breath, Kira made her way into the back garden, hoping to find some way into the house.

Coming around the corner, she stopped dead at the sight in front of her.

Standing on the lawn, obscured by dozens of trees and shrubs, was a circle of three women, all reading from an ancient looking text spread out in front of them.

Well, she was definitely in the right place.

…

"Jer?" Looking up, Jeremy saw his sister's concerned face reflected back at him. "I heard about your conversation with Sheriff Forbes."

Rolling his eyes, he cursed the lack of privacy in small towns as his sister took a ginger seat beside him on the couch, eyeing him warily.

"No one is trying to figure out what happened to her. They all want to believe that she ODED."

"Coroner's office confirmed it," Elena started quietly, her voice hesitant. "If that's what they say happened then-"

"Is that what you believe?" Jeremy demanded, cutting her off as he swivelled in his seat.

But Elena's face was blank, betraying nothing of her inner thoughts.

"What do you think happened?" She asked carefully, and Jeremy frowned, his back straightening as he took in how tensely his sister was holding herself for the first time.

"I think that somebody killed her and buried her body, and I don't think we should write it off just because it's easy."

"They're just doing what they can to move on-"

"The truth is the only thing that's going to help people move on, Elena," Jeremy stated strongly.

Elena swallowed, seeming to take a minute to collect herself under the weight of Jeremy's heavy stare.

"Jer, just let if go, okay?" She asked pleadingly. Jeremy jerked back, looking at her through wide eyes.

Let it go?

Let it go?!

Was she-! Why-? Was she insane?!

"Whatever it was, she's gone now," Elena went on beseechingly, staring at him through serious eyes.

The words met his ears and seemed to reverberate through his mind. Echoing through his thoughts, gathering momentum.

"Whatever it was?" He whispered, repeating her words back at her. "So you don't think it was an overdose?" Jeremy pressed, his voice urgent now.

That's when he caught it. The tell-tale way Elena's eyes widened before abruptly relaxing. The sign that Kira had told him three years ago was what Elena always did when she was hiding something.

"Yes…I do," Elena's voice was steady, calm, but Jeremy had seen more than he needed to.

Kira's instinct for reading people was second to none. She'd let him in on one of countless little expressions she knew about Elena over the years. Particularly when their eldest sister began assuming the 'mother hen' role in their family. Presuming she could order her younger siblings about.

Kira had taken Elena's sixteen-year-old ambition badly, and had spent the next three weeks bombarding Jeremy with priceless little cues she'd collected over the years to enable him to read, and circumvent Elena's crazy mission to control them with an effectiveness that had driven their older sister crazy.

He'd forgotten most of them, but that one, _that one_, he remembered.

"Is there something you're not telling me?" Jeremy demanded quietly, leaning forward to make sure Elena could hear his hushed voice.

Elena sifted uncomfortably, her nostrils flaring with guilt.

"Why aren't you looking at me?"

"Sorry," Elena recovered quickly. "That doesn't mean anything."

Looking deep into his sister's eyes, Jeremy searched her expression closely as he once again asked her the one question he wanted a real answer to. "If there was something else, you'd tell me,…right?"

"…Of course, I would."

Jeremy sat back in his seat, staring at Elena's turned away figure through new eyes.

She'd lied. Straight to his face.

A voice that sounded suspiciously like Kira's whispered in the back of his mind that enough was enough. That if Elena wasn't willing to be honest with him, he had no reason to reciprocate the favour.

"Yeah," Jeremy murmured, rising to his feet. "Sure."

…

Circling the trio of witches, Kira peeked over the youngest one's shoulder, trying to see the text they had surrounded.

Foreign scrawl met her eyes. The meaning of the black, ink squiggles utterly beyond her.

"Damn," Kira cursed, folding her arms.

Gregor had told Jason to go to this address if he was ever in trouble and needed help. That the witches here were powerful and possessed skills highly sought after, yet at the same time, feared amongst those of their kind.

They used something called Expression.

Gregor had refused to speak of it, his entire demeanour flustered and anxious as he'd told Jason the address in hushed tones. Told his grandson to only seek them out in the most dire of circumstances, to never tell anyone of their whereabouts and what he had told him.

And, well, naturally, Kira had been intrigued.

Apart from the forty or so witches and warlocks that she had crossed paths with in Boston while hanging around the profitable occult store, Kira had encountered tens of magic users on her slow trek across the country over the next three months.

It had been a fascinating journey. Witches and warlocks tended to spout loyalty among their kind, but they were jealous about the spells passed down to them through their family grimoires. Sharing of information was few and far between, and never without a price or reason.

The degree of difference in skill and power was something she hadn't anticipated, thinking there would be more homogeny of power.

She couldn't have been more wrong.

Some witches and warlocks had more power, more magic available to them, but not enough knowledge. Falling prey to the more experienced, more educated of their kind. Which is why Kira couldn't help but see the bitter irony of her circumstances. As nothing more than a spirit, an observer on the other side, their attempts to hoard their magic and knowledge meant nothing to her. She learned their secrets anyway. Most, had nothing out of the ordinary to learn. But some, some possessed knowledge she knew without a doubt she never would have been made privy to should they have known she was watching them.

Which is why Kira found it curious that she'd never once heard the word, expression, used in the last few months. All those people. All those differing abilities, and powers, and knowledge, and only now had she even heard 'expression' mentioned.

The way Gregor had hastily explained it, deliberately leaving out any details, clearly not wanting his grandson to know too much, it was a different way that witches could harness their power.

And for a warlock as self-interested, cunning and strong as Gregor to suggest the magic was so powerful…well,…was it any wonder that Kira wanted to know what all the fuss was about?

…


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries

…

"Do you really think this is going to work?" The youngest witch of the trio asked the other two excitedly.

Kira sighed with annoyance as she once again tried to somehow make sense of the strange writing and symbols in the ancient text. But it was no use. None of the complicated diagrams or words made any sense to her.

"We'll know soon enough," The oldest witch answered solemnly, a hopeful look in her eyes.

Tilting her head to the side, Kira looked at the three women closely, for the first time realising that they all shared similar features.

Family.

They were family.

And judging by the distinct age differences between them; grandmother, daughter and grand-daughter.

Cool.

"Bring the girl," The grandmother motioned at the youngest dismissively, causing Kira to frown.

The girl?

A heavy feeling clenched her stomach as she watched the eager granddaughter lead a struggling blonde teenager from the house. Oh no. Her hands were bound, and her blue eyes looked wild and scared as she whimpered, cringing away from the tugging hands of the witch who was leading her towards their circle.

"Why are you doing this?!" The girl cried, long tear tracks on her cheeks. "I haven't done anything to you!"

Kira bit her lip harshly, tasting the metallic blood on her tongue a second later as she pierced the soft flesh.

"Be quiet, girl," The daughter hissed, shooting their blonde prisoner a scathing look. "Or I shall force you to hold your tongue."

"Please!" The blonde begged, unable to help herself despite the very serious threat. "I don't- I don't know what you want with me!"

"It's very simple," The grandmother spoke up in a soft, gentle voice, surprising the girl into silence. "You're here to help us perform a very delicate, very demanding spell."

"S-spell?" The girl stuttered, her eyes widening as she looked at the women with growing horror. "You're crazy!"

"Shut your mouth!" The daughter, once again, demanded. Seeming to have the shortest temper of the three.

They were going to sacrifice her. Oh god. Kira looked away, sapphire eyes piercing the darkness as she seriously contemplated leaving. She didn't want to see this. She already knew…she'd seen it happen once before. In San Francisco. Before she'd made her way up to Seattle.

Human sacrifices boosted the powers of magic users.

It was violent. Horrendous. And cruel. So cruel.

Looking back at the terrified blonde with painful regret, Kira shook her head, stiffening her spine. If it were her in that girl's place, she'd want someone there. Someone that cared. Someone to know it was wrong.

So even knowing that she didn't need this memory, didn't need to witness what she knew was about to happen, Kira turned back around. Forcing herself to watch as she came to a silent stop at the blonde's side.

The chanting started quickly. The women's three voices rising and falling in tandem with some unseen rhythm only they seemed to recognise and know.

"Don't worry, girl," The grandmother spoke softly as she approached the struggling blonde. "I will remember your sacrifice."

Kira glared darkly at the powerful witch as she bent, and, without preamble, plunged a dagger into the girl's heart, killing her quickly.

She swallowed back the lump of lead in her throat, her feet feeling like they were glued to the ground.

"Give me the bowl, Jolene," She rasped, holding up the bloody dagger to the light of the moon.

The daughter wasted no time in handing over the bowl full of various herbs, her eyes anxious. "Mama, are you sure that this spell will tell us where Silas is buried? You feel the effects of magic so strongly nowadays, I don't want you getting hurt."

"This is needed, Jolene," She told her daughter harshly.

"But-!"

"Enough!" With a glare, her daughter became silent, looking down. "Now, both of you, cast the spell to ward off spirits," The grandmother told them both, looking around at the large back garden suspiciously. "We can't afford to have any nosy witches on the other side trying to interfere with what we're trying to do."

Kira stepped forward with wide eyes, her hands trembling with shock.

Her. They were talking about her.

Spirits.

"Of course, Mama."

No! They couldn't send her away! She wouldn't allow it! Sapphire eyes gleaming with anger, Kira forced herself to take a deep breath, focusing on the way the two younger women joined hands.

Quiet words began to slip past their lips, rising in volume.

Kira grunted.

She felt like something had just punched her in the stomach!

"Ah!" A pained cry escaped her as what felt like one thousand knifes suddenly plunged into her soft belly.

Gasping, bent over, Kira pressed her closed fists into her knees, gritting her teeth against the building pain.

She would not be sent away! She would not be banished!

A furious scream of pain suddenly ripped through the garden. Kira's head snapped up.

Standing across from her was a woman bent over at exactly the same angle she was, clutching her stomach with the same agonised expression on her face.

And her brown eyes were staring directly at her.

"Who?" With brown hair whipping through the air, her mouth hung open in absolute shock as she stared at Kira across the lawn. Her long, white, toga-styled dress bright in the light of the moon.

Struggling to draw in breath, the pain in her stomach crippling, Kira still managed a few words. Somehow knowing that an opportunity to do so again wouldn't come for a long time.

She could see her! She was looking right at her!

Right at her!

"You can-" She broke off with a gasp, falling to her knees in pain. "You can…see me?"

But before she could get her answer, could somehow converse with another person for the first time since crashing through the safety barrier on Wickery Bridge; her vision began to blur and, unable to hold herself up any longer, she fell to the ground, darkness creeping over her.

…

"Where is the device?"

Forcing down her urge to scream, Elena crossed her arms. "Where is my brother?"

"This is not a negotiation," Isobel smiled. "Where is the invention?"

Staring across at the undeniably beautiful, dark-haired woman opposite her, Elena didn't know what to think. This was her mother. The woman who carried her for nine months. Who gave birth to her.

One of two people in the world who was supposed to love and care for her unconditionally.

"Where is my brother?" Elena demanded coldly.

"…Do you really think that I came alone?" Two figures emerged from the darkness, flanking the female vampire.

She gritted her teeth. "Do you really think I came alone?" Elena asked.

She watched Isobel's black eyes flick behind her, saw the impatience and frustration flare in her beautiful features as she caught sight of the Salvatore brothers.

"For god's sake, call home," Isobel sighed, exasperation dripping from her voice.

And in that moment, when her birth mother's eyes fixed on her, Elena sucked in a sharp breath.

Because she'd seen that look before. That same exact glint of frustration and ironic humour coupled with restlessness. The look that told Elena she was making a situation more dramatic and more difficult than it needed to be.

The same look her sister had perfected by the age of seven.

The look that never failed to make her feel foolish.

Kira's look, her twin's look…on their birth mother.

"I'll be home soon, alright?" Elena spoke quietly into the phone's receiver, her eyes never staying from the silent, blank-faced Isobel standing opposite her.

"Yeah," Jeremy's voice answered her before the dial tone echoed down the line.

"…You were never going to hurt him…" She breathed, shaking her head at her own idiocy.

"No," Isobel smiled. "I was going to kill him." Elena's stomach swooped down, churning with fear. "Don't look for any redeeming qualities in me, Elena. I don't have any."

Swallowing back the bile in her throat, Elena felt her mouth twist into a bitter grimace. "But you took a risk with Damon. How did you know that he was going to give it to me?"

"Because he's in love with you."

Elena's breathing stopped. Isobel's words, combined with the dark laughter in her cold eyes telling her without words that her birth mother was speaking the truth.

Stalking forward, she shoved the small device into the vampire's outstretched hand.

"Thank-you," Elena snapped.

"For what?"

"For being such a monumental disappointment." Her words were designed to hurt. To somehow get back at the woman for so easily hurting her in the few hours she'd been in Mystic Falls.

Elena hadn't thought that she would care. That she'd be able to understand, to accept that her mother had given her up. What she hadn't expected…was the complete lack of interest in her life that Isobel had shown. Her indifference hurt her more than anything else.

"It keeps the memory of my real mother perfectly intact."

Isobel stared at her for a long minute, slipping the small device into her coat pocket.

"Goodbye, Elena." She stated, the words not seeming to affect her at all. "As long as you have a Salvatore on each arm, you're doomed. Katherine was smart. She got out. But we all know that you're not Katherine."

Elena dragged in a deep breath as Isobel turned to leave, pushing back the tears pricking at her eyes in her determination not to break down in front of the woman who gave her up.

But just as Isobel's figure was about to be swallowed up by the darkness of the night, disappearing from her life as swiftly as she had entered it; Isobel stopped.

She turned her head slightly so that the light from the park lamp-post caught her profile.

For the first time, she seemed…hesitant. Unsure of herself.

"…Your sister," The whisper seemed to carry on the wind.

Elena's spine straightened. "What about her?"

Clenching her hands into fists at her sides, Elena waited, her heart galloping in her chest for Isobel to speak.

"…What was she like?" The question was so quiet. So sincere.

Elena felt the colour drain from her face.

What was she like?

Kira.

It was always…always, Kira.

Looking down at the leaf strewn path beneath her feet, Elena took in a shuddering breath, forcing the lump in her throat down.

Why did this even matter to her?!

Isobel was nothing! She was selfish and cold. She'd threatened Jeremy. Broken Matt's arm. She'd left Alaric alone, without answers, all because she wanted more. Wanted immortality.

This shouldn't matter to her!

…But it did.

"A lot like you actually," Elena spat out, bitterness coating her words as she glared at the woman who was supposed to be her mother.

Who was supposed to care. Who was supposed to love both her children equally.

"Just leave, Isobel," She growled, tears blurring her vision as she tried desperately to force back the choke in her throat. "…Leave!"

…Who was supposed to ask about…her…

…

Sapphire eyes watched the simple, one storey, brick house opposite her carefully. Not willing to miss anything.

She'd woken up in the middle of the road, not thirty paces from the same house that the witches occupied some time ago.

And she hadn't been able to get any closer than she was right now.

Some sort of…invisible boundary surrounded the property, refusing to let her pass. But that wasn't what her mind was focused on.

The other spirit. The one she'd seen seconds before she blacked out, before she was forcibly ejected from the property…she'd looked right at her.

_Seen _her.

And she wanted to know why.

Kira was a social person. She thrived among people. Loved making new friends, hearing about their lives, laughing with them.

She was good at it.

Incredibly good at it.

Making friends, being likeable, it had never been a chore for her. Never something she really had to think about.

Her Dad used to shake his head at her, smiling that proud grin, and tell her she just had a way with people.

Kira didn't know if that was true, but she did know that not being able to talk to anyone, to interact, to laugh with another person…she did know that it was one of the hardest things she'd had to get used to over the last few months.

But how had that woman seen her?

She'd looked…ancient. Her clothes, her hair, the lack of any sort of makeup…it was all so foreign to her. Not to mention the years she'd seen behind her deep brown eyes. More years than she'd seen in anyone.

The sound of a door being pulled open in the silence of the night was loud, making her head snap up with attention.

Sapphire eyes honed in on the two women now walking down the small pathway towards the street, her thoughts pushed to the back of her mind.

The daughter and granddaughter.

Biting her lip, Kira raised a hesitant hand, her lips pulling into a grin as she found no force pushing her back.

The spell had been lifted.

Not wasting another moment, Kira pushed off the tree she'd been leaning against, jogging across the empty road to catch up with the two women hurrying down the suburban footpath.

"…believe that it didn't work!" The granddaughter sighed, her shoulders slumped with disappointment.

Narrowing her eyes with interest, Kira sidled up beside the youngest of the trio, looking across at the two women's faces.

"We'll try again," The mother stated, no room for argument in her voice. "We'll try until we find the spell that works. Until we find a combination that is powerful enough to tell us his location."

Whose location?

"But, Mama," The daughter groaned, hugging her small, beaded bag close to her stomach. "We've tried everything! What if it's not working because Silas is just a myth? What if he's not real and that's why we can't find him?"

"Yvonne!" The mother snapped, her eyes bright with anger and warning.

Silas? The spell that they performed tonight, the spell that required a human sacrifice to boost the powers of three witches she could already feel were incredibly powerful, was a simple locator spell?

That didn't make sense!

"Well, how else do you explain that it didn't work, Mama?!" Yvonne, the daughter, flung out her arms with exasperation.

The slightly plump mother came to an abrupt stop on the footpath, turning to face her daughter with a severe expression. "Simple, daughter. The witch, Qetsiyah, was far more powerful than any of us. It was she who designed his prison. Even with expression, thwarting her will in keeping Silas' tomb a secret is no small task!"

"But what if he is just a myth! What if he really isn't real?!"

"Don't be absurd! One must only look at the existence of the Other Side, that Qetsiyah created in order to trap Silas, as proof of his existence, Yvonne!"

"…What?" Kira breathed, staring at the two glaring witches through wide, disbelieving eyes.

Another witch…a mortal _person, _had created the hell she was trapped in?

It was a construct? Nothing more than the manifestation of some long dead witch's will?!

The daughter's ire seemed to leave her all at once, her body sagging with acceptance. "You're right," Yvonne nodded, speaking softly. "Of course, you're right."

With one last icy glare at the despicable women standing in front of her, Kira spun on her heel, walking off into the night.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries

…

Caroline frowned up at Bonnie from where she sat, cross-legged, on her bed. "So, I don't get to choose the ring I have to wear for the rest of my life?"

"Hey, if you don't want it-" Bonnie glared.

"No, no," Stefan stepped in swiftly, cutting off the argument before it could escalate. "She wants it."

Forcing down the bitchy comment on the tip of her tongue, Caroline tilted her head to the side, adopting a fake, sunny smile. "Now what?"

"Now is the part where I explain the rules," Bonnie shot back heatedly, having obviously caught her sarcastic cheerfulness. "The witch who spells the ring has the power to dispel it, so if you ever do anything to hurt anyone-"

"I'm not going to hurt anyone!" She yelled, hating the judgment she could see in Bonnie's normally warm hazel eyes.

But even as she said it, Caroline could feel the burning in her throat. The soft rumbles of her stomach that urged her to eat. New instincts that only wanted one thing. Blood.

It was taking every morsel of self-control she had not to betray herself. To feign indifference to the steady thump of Bonnie's heart. It was hypnotising. The beat. A loud, seductive call to the dark predator that now resided inside of her. But she'd succeeded. Even Stefan didn't realise just how much effort she was putting into appearing calm. In control.

With a quick flick of her eyes in Stefan's direction, Caroline let the breath she was holding leave her lungs on a slow exhale.

"You're a vampire," Bonnie told her without sympathy. "That means that that urge to kill is a part of who you are. The minute you let it take over, I will stop you."

Silence spread through the room as Caroline stared up at the damning eyes of her best friend.

There was no compassion there. None.

Only disdain.

"You're supposed to be my friend," She glared, forcing back the tears that pricked at her eyes.

"I can't ignore what happened, okay?!" Bonnie exclaimed, for the first time breaking her ice-cold façade. "If you want to be friends, you have to prove that the Caroline I remember isn't gone-"

"Oh, shut-up, Bonnie!" She snapped, at the end of her rope.

"Caroline!" Stefan interjected, his eyes wide.

She paid him no attention.

Bonnie drew back, her face becoming dark.

"God! You stand there spouting absolute _crap _about how I have to prove to you that I'm still _worthy _of being your friend! Well, guess what?! I'm not sure if I even want to anymore, Bonnie! I died! I'm dead! And somehow in this crazy, impossible, scary world, I turned into a vampire. Something that I had no idea were even real! This is the…biggest, most frightening thing that has ever happened to me! And all you can do is stand there, judging me! Making everything even worse!"

"You killed someone, Caroline!" Bonnie screamed.

"You're my friend! You're supposed to be on _my _side!" She cried.

"You expect me just to ignore ever-!"

"Kira would have."

Her cold, quiet words immediately silenced Bonnie. The witch's face freezing and draining of all colour at the unexpected mention of their lost friend.

"Caroline," Stefan cleared his throat hesitantly, not really knowing what had just happened, as the two girls stared at each other in complete silence.

"…Kira would have been there for me," The words came with difficulty, her newly heightened emotions seeming to only rip apart the still oozing wound of her best friend's loss. "She would have been worried about _me, _not her conscience."

Caroline felt a twinge of guilt as she watched Bonnie's lower lip tremble slightly before the witch bit harshly into the plump flesh.

But she couldn't feel guilt at her words. They were true.

And Bonnie knew it.

Hazel eyes ripped themselves from her own blue ones as Bonnie, without words, reached down for the blue lapis stone on her vanity table. Moving it to rest in the centre of her bed.

"Bonnie, are you alright?" Stefan asked carefully, shooting Caroline a confused, reproachful look over his shoulder as a silent Bonnie approached the closed curtains covering the large window.

"I'm fine," The caramel skinned girl stated solemnly.

With careful, slow movements, giving Caroline more than enough time to tug her knees up against her chest, Bonnie pulled back the thick curtains so that the bright sunlight shone on the simple lapis ring.

"It's done."

Looking into her friend's serious, sad eyes, Caroline simply nodded, needing no further proof of her truthfulness.

Bonnie collected her grimoire and bag in silence; speeding across the hardwood floor towards the open doorway without another word.

"Thank-you," Caroline murmured, sliding the spelled jewellery on to her finger.

Just as she was about to disappear around the corner, hands clutching tightly to the strap of the bag dangling from her shoulder, Bonnie suddenly paused; a torn look on her face.

"…Bonnie?" Stefan asked, frowning.

Caroline watched her friend in hopeful silence, playing nervously with the ring around her finger.

"…You're welcome, Caroline," Without her enhanced hearing she wouldn't have been able to hear the whispered words of her friend as Bonnie disappeared into the hallway.

But she did.

…

Moving around the parked caravan, ducking under the string of laundry hanging from a low tree-branch, Kira approached the group of men and women sitting around the small fire with excitement.

She could hardly believe it.

Werewolves.

Honest to god, werewolves.

She'd only arrived in the Bayou two days ago, having heard rumours of people changing into beasts the closer she'd travelled to Louisiana.

Kira had wanted to put as many miles as she could between her and Seattle. Walking straight past security at the airport and boarding the first domestic plane she came across. Which just so happened to be headed to Kansas.

In the weeks since she'd stepped off that plane, she'd slowly made her way south, following witches, warlocks, and anything else that took her fancy.

Which is how she heard about the curse.

Having, for months, immersed herself in the supernatural world, Kira had heard the stories of those capable of changing into wolves. The mere concept was fascinating. Extraordinary! And she'd wanted to see one for a while now.

But they were rare.

Practically extinct.

At least, she'd thought so. Rumours of a community of wolves in the Bayou outside of New Orleans started gaining momentum and popularity the closer she'd traveled to the famous city.

And she'd found them. Two days ago. Travelling through the undeniably eerie, dangerous marshland that meant absolutely nothing to a ghost, Kira had found the thirty odd humans living deep inside the Bayou.

And tonight…tonight was full-moon.

"Did you get the wolfsbane?" Justin, one of the older members of their community, approached the small group of six she'd been sitting with.

"Yeah," Emma, a short, frail looking brunette, nodded curtly. Reaching into the back pocket of her jeans to retrieve a plastic bag filled with herbs.

"Is this all?" Justin frowned, taking the bag from her carefully, as if it might bite him.

"It took us all month just to gather that," Frank, twenty-two, and the oldest of the group of six, spoke up defensively. "Marcel's lackeys almost caught us twice, as it is. And we didn't even enter the Quarter." Staring up at the middle-aged man heatedly, Kira raised a curious eyebrow as Justin's face abruptly softened.

"You did well," He told them. "All of you. I'm sorry for my shortness, I just…" Trailing off, he sighed, looking down at the small amount of wolfsbane worriedly. "…We'll make do," He said softly.

Kira watched the middle-aged man limp off to join the other, older members of the community before turning back to the more rowdy individuals that surrounded her.

"I don't know what he expects us to do," Emma frowned darkly, dragging her knees close to her chest. "We already put our lives on the line every time we venture into the city."

"He's just frustrated, Emma." Following the voice back to its owner, Kira saw the black-haired Lily resting her head against her boyfriend, Ryan's, shoulder.

She'd never come across such an eclectic group of people before. Their socio-economic groups were vastly different. Ethnicities seemed to play no role in acceptance, nor did gender. The only thing these people had in common was the fact that they'd triggered the werewolf curse buried deeply in their DNA.

"The moon will reach its apex soon," Eve, the leader of this little community, raised her voice, stilling all activity. "Smother the fires."

The six young adults she was sitting with shared long, apprehensive looks. Every pair of eyes showing the same thing.

Fear.

Dread.

Stoicism.

Kira frowned.

She'd, of course, heard about the agony of the transformation. It was called a curse for a reason. But the sudden, foreboding silence that had descended over the thirty-odd number at Eve's proclamation wasn't something she had been expecting.

It was eerie.

They moved in silence. Throwing small cups of water over fires, pushing plates and clothes aside so they wouldn't get in the way. And slowly, slowly, they all gathered together. Seeming to take strength from the shared promise of pain to come.

Kira watched everything from the trees. Arms folded across her chest.

Without warning, without any sign that she could hear, smell, touch or taste; it began.

The screams.

Sapphire eyes widened with horror as she watched each and every person go down. Writhing horribly against the damp earth as deafening breaks and cracks began echoing through the dark night.

Any and all excitement fled her as Kira continued to watch the cruel transformation.

She had no idea how long she stood there, her fingers digging deeply into the flesh of her ribs. But one by one, the thirty wolves came to their feet.

Huge, powerful paws pressed against the ground. Sharp eyes watching the dense marshland around them.

They were…magnificent.

Kira approached the suddenly enormous pack with slow, gliding steps, her eyes wide.

There were so…many.

Without warning, one of the wolves suddenly raised their head; a loud, haunting howl piercing the night.

Twenty-nine other howls soon joined the lone wolf. The dangerous chorus provoking a blinding smile from Kira's lips as she moved slowly through the pack. Sapphire eyes feasting on the bloodthirsty, wild animals with unhidden amazement.

Then, they ran.

…

"You just have to be careful, Caroline," Stefan sighed, moving his neck so he could look at the pouting blonde walking beside him.

"But, bunnies?" She whined, sky blue orbs horrified. "Isn't that like the first sign of a serial killer?"

"We're predators, Caroline!" Running a hand through his hair, he prayed for patience. "You will crave blood for the rest of your life. If you don't learn how to control it, how to master those cravings, you will end up hurting someone."

"Fine," She snapped, turning around so that she was facing the woods they'd just walked through. "So, what do I do? Just listen and, what? Pounce?"

"Something like that," Stefan chuckled.

Throwing the blonde newborn a quick glance, he frowned down at the leaf-strewn ground beneath his feet in thought.

"Can I ask you something?"

Spinning around, blonde waves twirling through the air in evidence that she'd yet to master her newly enhanced speed, Caroline blinked up at him.

"Um…sure?" Her tone was questioning, and Stefan had a brief thought that this was a bad idea, but he'd been wondering this for a while now, and, well…

"Back there with Bonnie," He began, unsure of how she'd take him bringing up the emotion-fuelled exchange. "You caused quite a change in her."

Caroline's face didn't change, blue eyes watching him closely as she folded her arms.

"You don't think you might have been a bit…hard on her?" Stefan hedged, knowing more than most the perils of upsetting someone so newly turned.

Caroline's eyes flashed with anger. "No, I don't, " She snapped. "Bonnie is supposed to be my friend and she wasn't even trying to understand my situation. Do you think that's right?"

Inwardly cringing at the minefield that question was, Stefan raised both hands in the universal sign for surrender. "Whoa, back up. I didn't say that. I was just surprised by the reaction Bonnie had to your words."

He'd never seen the stubborn, fiery Bennet witch act that way before. As if all fight had suddenly been stolen from her.

With a loud exhale, Caroline closed her eyes, centring herself. "Look, Stefan," Looking up, she locked gazes with him. "I understand that you love Elena. You've gotten to know Bonnie and me, Jeremy…but you came into our lives at a time where everything was changing. I get that to you, Bonnie's reaction might have seemed…extreme, even uncharacteristic. But, it wasn't," She shook her head slowly, her eyes filled with pain. "You never knew Kira. You have no idea the impact that she had on all of us when she was alive, you only see the aftermath."

"Caroline," Stefan stepped forward with a frown of concern, his natural, enhanced empathy protesting at the tears that were quickly filling the young vampire's eyes.

"No, no, I'm alright," Caroline held up a hand, stopping him from coming any closer. "Bonnie's reaction wasn't unexpected, Stefan," She laughed once, without humour. "If Kira was here she would have kicked Bonnie's ass for acting the way she is. And Bonnie knows that."

Stefan felt the smallest of smiles beginning to tug at the edges of his mouth, hearing the genuine love and affection in Caroline's voice as she talked about her friends.

He hadn't heard a lot about the mysterious Gilbert twin. The one he'd had to leave behind that day in the car. Elena didn't like to talk about her. And Jeremy would shy away from any topic that could remotely bring up any thoughts about his lost sibling. But from the tiny snippets of conversation he'd overheard around town, comparisons that were made, idle comments at Founders' parties…the younger Gilbert sister had been lively.

"It's funny, you know?" Caroline sniffled, wiping at the skin underneath her eyes. "I suppose that to you, this is normal. This is life in Mystic Falls."

"Well, I have been here for a while now," Stefan smiled charmingly.

Caroline just shook her head, straightening her shoulders. "It still feels alien to me. Going to school and not seeing her there…It's the aftermath that you're seeing, Stefan. Not the norm…But you don't get that. Because you never met her."

…

Everywhere she went, everywhere she looked, all she would hear was rumours about _him_. The quiet murmuring of his exploits. Fearful mutterings of humans and vampires alike as they scurried along the footpath. Whispers; and they were all about him.

Marcel.

She was sick of it.

Storming through the cemetery, ironically one of the few places you weren't likely to happen across a vampire in this city, Kira abruptly stopped as a gentle wave of magic suddenly prodded against her senses.

Witches. She grinned.

Following the energy like a dog would a scent, Kira moved around the gravestones. Hopping over the short, stone wall that enclosed the cemetery, she strode down the steep incline, through the trees.

She must have been walking for half an hour before she reached them.

A charming, old-fashioned cottage dominated the small clearing, a large tree giving the line of kneeling girls shade from the sun.

"Do you believe?"

Wandering closer, Kira raised an eyebrow at the thin, ageing woman standing in front of the young girls. Girls probably just a few years younger than herself. And all witches, as far as she could tell.

"Monique!"

Spinning around, Kira watched with amused interest as a woman charged into the clearing, an infuriated look on her face.

"Monique, what are you doing here?" She demanded, her eyes fixed on the back of one of the kneeling girls.

"Sophie," The thin, willowy witch in charge looked up, glaring at the woman warningly. "You have no right to be here. You turned your back on your heritage, on our history. I will not have you disrupting our teachings."

Kira smirked with amusement when Sophie merely snorted, throwing the elder woman a disparaging look.

"The Harvest is nothing more than an antiquated superstition!" Sophie threw her arms up into the air, her tone frustrated. "Monique, does your Mum know that you're here?"

"Jane-Anne is fully aware of her daughter's whereabouts, Sophie," The aged woman snapped, stepping forward with a hostile look in her eyes.

"Is she now?" Sophie scoffed, her lips pursing. "Well, we'll just see about that." Spinning on her heel, she stalked off into the trees, leaving behind a tense atmosphere.

Smirking, Kira laughed under her breath as she watched the thin, elderly woman attempt to settle the teens' nerves, Sophie's presence having caused a stir.

"Alright, girls," Clapping her hands together, she indicated for the line of girls to stand. "…Davina, if you would start us off…"

…


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries or The Originals

…

Looking out over New Orleans from her place on the high balcony, Kira sighed.

She should have moved on by now.

Two months. She'd been here two months, and yet, every time she went to get on a bus, or pick a random flight to another part of the country…she stopped.

Something was going to happen. She knew it was.

Ever since she'd stumbled upon those young girls being taught magic out at the cottage that day, things had become very weird.

Shadowing the coven hadn't been hard. All she'd had to do was follow those fourteen teenage girls wherever they went and, invariably, she'd come across more witches.

Mothers, aunts, great-grandmothers, uncles, brothers…it was a large community.

And yet, a ball of lead had steadily grown in her stomach the longer she observed them go about their lives.

Secrets.

Whispers.

Deceit.

It saturated them.

Kira had watched the same fourteen girls become the centre of their community. Everywhere they went, they were treated as if they were royalty. Their parents so proud of their involvement in this 'Harvest'.

They'd drilled them in the protocol. Told them what to expect the night of the full-moon when the ritual would finally take place to re-establish their connection with their ancestors for the next few centuries.

But Kira knew something wasn't right.

She knew enough about people to read the look in Jane-Anne's eyes every time she dropped off her daughter, Monique, for more practice.

Uncertainty, and guilt.

But they wouldn't talk. She'd shadowed the coven's elders, determined to figure out what was really going on, what was making her feel increasingly uneasy as she watched the fifteen year olds slowly master their spells.

Nothing.

Whatever secret they were hiding, the witches were either being overly cautious to not speak of it aloud, or they all already knew what was coming.

Looking down at the dusk streets of the French Quarter beneath her, Kira straightened from her bent over position against the balcony.

She should have left by now.

She'd seen what she'd wanted to see; the werewolves. She'd picked up tidbits of magic that she hadn't known from the servants of nature who lived in the city.

But they weren't strong.

The magic that they cast was lacklustre to say the least. Lacking. Which had surprised her until she realised that their increasing weakness was the reason for this 'Harvest'.

But she hadn't been able to leave.

Kira wasn't an overly sentimental person. She wasn't one that learned to love easily, let alone trust. But there was one girl amongst them…just one…that struck a chord with her.

She'd watched these girls for eight weeks now, but only one had really caught her attention.

Davina.

The brown-haired fifteen-year-old was a fighter. She'd stay longer than any of her friends, trying and trying until she could successfully cast the spell they were learning that day. She had so much spirit. So much life in her…and she had no idea.

Something was wrong.

Something that she was missing.

And it was making everything in the Quarter restless.

Kira watched as the sun's last rays disappeared behind the old buildings, the way graceful bodies slithered out of dark shadows and onto the streets below.

Vampires.

The city was crawling with them.

Yet, the witches did nothing. Caught up in whatever had them so…anxious.

Rumours had begun to circulate. The elders rushing the girls through the final steps of the ritual.

No. However much she knew she should move on, Kira couldn't bring herself to take that final step.

Not until after the Harvest.

Not until she found out exactly what the witches were hiding.

…

Jeremy suppressed the yell of frustration bubbling up his throat through sheer force of will, tugging furiously at his brown hair as he stared down at his sister with disbelief.

"I have to do this!" Elena stressed each of her words, her eyes alive and wild. "Don't you see?! Klaus killed all of Katherine's family for running. If I don't give myself up, he'll hurt everyone I care about! How can I live with that?!"

"Elena," Bonnie stepped forward with beseeching eyes. "Please, just listen to us. Klaus has no idea that you exist, let alone where you live. Giving yourself over to him isn't brave, it's giving up!"

Thank God for Bonnie!

Throwing his hands down to his sides, Jeremy huffed out a furious breath, looking at the open doorway behind his sister with pointed eyes.

"You can't get out," He told her sternly, past patience. "We all agreed that it was best to confine you to the house before you really did accomplish your little suicide mission."

Glaring at his sister, Jeremy spun on his heel, stalking towards the kitchen in an effort to calm down so that he wouldn't throttle her himself.

Elena followed him, hot on his heels.

"I'm not on a suicide mission, Jeremy!" She shouted, jogging to catch up with him as she slipped a hand in the crook of his elbow to spin him around to face her. "I'm trying to keep you safe. To keep everyone safe. Jenna, Bonnie, Caroline, Damon, Stefan, Alaric, _you!_"

With anger bubbling over, staring down into Elena's stubbornly self-righteous eyes, Jeremy couldn't have stopped the words from leaving him if he'd tried.

"Wake up, Elena!" He roared. She stumbled back, eyes wide with shock. "You're not being brave! You're giving up!"

Rallying her spirits, she met fire with fire, throwing him back a deadly glare of her own.

"I'm trying to protect my family!"

"By what?! Leading him straight to us?!" He saw Bonnie cringe at the deafening volume of his yell, but couldn't bring himself to care. "You might think that you're protecting us, Elena, but you couldn't be doing anything worse for our safety."

"But-!"

"No!" Shaking his head furiously, Jeremy slashed his arm through the air, violently cutting her off. "Ever since the accident you seem to think that you've always been the one to protect this family, to keep us safe," The words poured out of him without censure. "But you haven't been, Elena! It was _Kira _who looked out for us, who made sure that nothing happened! Not you!" His sister jerked back as if struck, the mention of her twin's name playing havoc on her system after so many months of not hearing it. "You don't know how! And you're making a mess of everything in your…your…_crusade _to fill the hole her death left in this family!"

"I am not-!"

"You are!" He yelled in her face, grabbing her by the arms and shaking her. "Elena, please, believe me when I tell you that you're not used to this. You haven't got any experience being the one to keep us all safe from danger. But no one expects you to…Why can't believe that?"

Elena's face dropped at his words, brown eyes filling with tears as she stared up into his expectant face in silence.

"Oh, Elena…" Bonnie's sad murmur of understanding seemed loud in the sudden silence, and that when his sister's tears overflowed, running down her cheeks.

"S-she would have k-k-known what to do, Jer," Elena hiccuped loudly, her eyes miserable and scared. "I d-don't know what t-t-to do!"

Feeling his own broken heart break further at the truthful ring of those words, Jeremy said nothing, simply pulling his fragile sister close to his chest.

"…I know."

…

"Bastinana! Stop, Bastianna! Please, you can't do this!"

Kira's head whipped around at the sound of Sophie's panicked calls only to see one of the many warlocks that littered the graveyard grab her, putting a hand over her mouth to smother her cries.

Glaring, Kira stepped forward, her folded arms slowly untangling as she eyed the proceedings suspiciously.

There was a feeling in the air.

Distrust.

Hurt.

Maliciousness.

It made her skin crawl.

Kira moved her body closer to Davina, instinctively needing to place her body between hers and the willowy elder, Bastianna.

"To be reborn, you must sacrifice…" The woman's voice was husky with age as she slowly approached the first of the four girls. "Do you have faith?"

Sapphire eyes narrowed into slits as she watched the fifteen year old nod mutely at the her coven's elder, her eyes alight with excitement. She raised her hand into the air, palm up.

It all happened so fast. There was no warning. Not in the small crowd of magic users watching the ceremony with starved eyes, not in the calm, composed manner of Bastianna.

The witch slid the sharp knife upwards in a violent, unexpected movement, slitting the young girl's throat.

"Shit!" Kira hissed, her curse lost amongst the three screams that immediately went up in the silence.

Where before the girls had been patient, excited, now they were terrified. Terrified and alone.

Even knowing it wouldn't do any good, Kira couldn't help pressing her back against Davina, wanting desperately to protect the spirited girl.

But she couldn't.

With furious helplessness, Kira could do nothing but watch as the next girl was wrestled to the altar, the knife dragged across her throat with the same lack of hesitation as the witch had shown the first.

"No!" Davina screamed hoarsely from behind her, her struggles loud in the otherwise quiet graveyard. Her elders and family standing by, silent.

Kira watched the second girl's body hit the ground with a quiet thud. Her blood heating in her veins.

Hands fisted at her sides, sapphire eyes burning holes in Bastianna's head, Kira breathed heavily through her nose, her fury swiftly overtaking her.

She couldn't take this. Not again.

To just stand there! Powerless!

Not being able to _do_ anything!

Not being able to help!

To do nothing but _watch_!

A wind kicked up, rustling through the trees.

No. She couldn't accept it. She wouldn't!

The third girl was brought forward, Davina a sobbing, screaming mess at her back.

Without taking her eyes off the scene in front of her, Kira reached back. Wanting to somehow, in someway reassure the terrified girl. Even knowing she couldn't. That it wasn't possible. That she was dead, that it wasn't her place to intervene in the world of the living. She needed to. Needed Davina to know that she wasn't alone. That there was someone here that was on her side.

And so her hand reached back, the move entirely instinctual, beyond her control.

And somehow…somehow…her hand _grasped _Davina's.

Without warning, before Kira even had a chance to process the overwhelming shock that had brought her mind to a screeching halt, a scream pierced the night. But this one was different.

This one came from the back of the crowd.

Vampires dropped from the sky, leaping over walls and tomb stones to attack the necks of the unprepared witches and warlocks.

Kira paid them no mind.

She couldn't.

Her entire being, her entire concentration was focused on what was happening between her and Davina. On the blazing feeling and energy that was erupting from their impossibly linked hands.

Without control, without direction, power exploded out of her body, flowing into Davina's.

She gasped.

Somewhere, some part of her was aware of the sudden intake of breath behind her, the feeling of fingers wrapping tightly through her own.

She looked back.

Eyes that she'd seen hundreds of times in all manner of emotions stared back at her in awe. Huge, brown eyes, that reminded her of her twin's, stared straight at _her. _

Kira smiled.

"Who-?" Davina's whispered breath was caught on the wind, deafened by the sudden piercing screams of Sophie from behind them.

Kira whipped around.

Monique, third of the four sacrifices, fell to the ground. Dead. Her throat slit.

She acted without hesitation.

Keeping a firm hold on Davina's hand, she spun back around, throwing her arm out in a violent, sweeping movement.

The warlock holding Davina prisoner flew up, sailing through the air until his back connected with the stone mausoleum behind him.

The crack of his neck was loud, and he fell limp. Dead.

"Run! _Run!_" Kira yelled at Davina, already moving to pull the shocked and trembling girl away from the massacre happening in front of them.

She needed to get her to safety. To get her away.

"Run, Davina!" Kira shouted, pulling at her arm forcefully.

Looking back into her scared, helpless eyes, screaming at her to move, that's when she saw it. The same fire and will to live that had drawn her to the girl in the first place. A blazing heat of agreement suddenly flared into existence within dark brown eyes, and, suddenly, Davina was running with every morsel of speed at her side, never letting go of her hand.

Skirting around tomb-stones and statues at a dead run, two witches suddenly flung themselves into their path, the dark light in their eyes locked on Davina's vulnerable form.

Kira snarled.

With an ease she knew was the result of hers and Davina's pooled powers, Kira attacked.

Jerking her chin up, the two women fell to their knees, screaming in pain, clutching their heads.

Davina's grip on her hand tightened. Her frightened, terrified gasp of shock making Kira's head whip around, long brown-red locks flying through the air.

"Wait!" A tall, dark-skinned man brought up his hands quickly, palms facing out. "I'm here to help you."

"Wha…" Davina breathed, her body and mind at war with each other as she tried to comprehend the chaos that had become what was supposed to be the proudest moment of her life. "Who-?"

"He's a vampire," Kira narrowed her eyes on the powerful man, recognising Marcel instantly.

Davina's neck snapped back at the sound of her calm voice, her eyes widening with sudden understanding.

She backed up.

"Please," Marcel approached Davina slowly, throwing a look over his shoulder at the slowly recovering witches and the few vampires now screaming on the ground. "I can get you out of here. I can help you!"

Reading people had always come easily to her, but even if it hadn't, Kira would have believed him.

Thinking he was only facing the scrutiny of a scared, distraught fifteen-year-old girl, Marcel was letting his face and eyes hide nothing. Every expression, the wrinkle in his brow, his gentle, protective eyes, they all combined to show a truthfulness that his words hadn't.

He wanted to help. For some reason, he was almost desperate to see Davina live.

Narrowing her eyes on the shockingly emotional vampire, Kira gave the younger girl a stiff nod of reassurance. Telling her to trust him.

Just as Davina was tentatively making her way towards Marcel, the vampire quickly closing the gap between them with urgency, Davina jerked to a stop with a gasp.

Before she even had time to identify the new danger, Kira felt it.

Power.

Just as Davina's power and hers had mingled with that first touch, so did this new power split between them.

Half and half.

"…Go," Kira breathed, smiling encouragingly at the younger girl as Marcel quickly wrapped his arms around her waist, drawing her close. "I'll find you. I promise."

Davina's eyes were reluctant, not wanting to let go, but finally, she did.

Their fingers slipped from each others, the sudden loss of power making both girls hunch over, breathless.

Then, they were gone.

Leaning back against the side of a mausoleum, Kira watched with wide, confused eyes as the two witches she'd held incapacitated with pain on their knees, abruptly stood. The spell broken as soon as her physical touch with Davina ceased to exist.

Looking out across the bloody ground, filled with corpses and crying, wailing people, Kira breathed out a shaky breath.

She could feel it.

The power.

It was still there.

Rushing beneath her skin, flowing through her blood.

It was hers.

…


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries or The Originals

…

"I'll be fine, Marcel," Davina smiled fondly.

Kira rolled her eyes.

"Are you sure?" He asked hesitantly. "I hate that you're all alone up here."

"My God!" Kira exclaimed, jumping off the bed with a flourish. "Why won't he ever just leave!"

Davina's lips twitched, trying to hold in her giggles.

A sly smirk curled up the right side of Kira's mouth. Moving quickly, she positioned herself behind the tall vampire that ran New Orleans' French Quarter and stuck two fingers up behind his head, wiggling them around.

"I'm sure!" Davina's suddenly rushed voice had Kira's grin widening and she raised her other hand behind his head. "Please, you're really busy and I don't want to hold you up. Go," Davina pushed, a tiny laugh escaping on her last word.

"What so funny?" Marcel grinned, obviously loving the mirthful sound coming from his young charge.

His head turned along with his body and Kira raised a single eyebrow at the dangerous vampire as he stared at the very space her body _should _be.

"Nothing!" Davina squawked, her hand coming up to push Marcel from the room. "Go, you'll be late!"

"Alright, alright," He laughed, the sound echoing down the corridor as he moved further away. "I'm going."

Folding her arms, Kira let her body fall backwards with what should have been a loud thump. As it was, when Davina finally turned around, her face pinched with a mixture of disapproval and unwanted amusement, none of the dust that should have moved at her actions, had.

"Did you really have to do that? I almost laughed in his face!"

"Oh, come on," Kira chuckled, fixing the girl with a twinkling gaze. "It was harmless."

"You're always getting me into trouble," Davina sighed good-naturedly, sitting down in the space beside her.

"That's where you're wrong," She corrected, holding up a finger in the air. "I'm not always getting you into trouble, I'm making sure you have fun. Like that little trip I convinced you to take with me down to the jazz club, remember how much you enjoyed it?"

Without permission, a huge smile spread across Davina's lips, her eyes retreating into the memory of the fun-filled night the two had shared a week ago.

"I guess you're right."

"Of course, I'm right," Kira announced, once again leaping from her sitting position. "You can't let the witches control your life, Davina. They have as much control over you as you give them. And they sure as hell shouldn't stop you from going out and living life, having fun!"

"I know, Kira," Davina nodded at her enthusiastically.

"Good."

"You must have been wild at my age, though, to come up with some of the things you do."

Adopting a mock offended look, she raised a hand to her chest. "'At my age'? Just how old do you think I am?!" Spinning around, she jutted out her hip, resting the heel of her hand there. "And I'll have you know that yes, I was somewhat of a wild child. Being able to effortlessly fill your days and use your time is a sure-fire way of knowing that you're making the most of your youth," She stated importantly.

Davina smirked, "If you say so."

Ginning, Kira reached forward, grabbing ahold of her thin wrist to yank her to her feet, revelling in the feel of human contact just like she did every-time.

"Come on, I've got the whole day planned!"

…

A pained groan escaped Elena's lips as the world slowly came back into focus.

Squinting against the blinding light streaming in through the window, it took her a few moments to figure out where she was. The steady movement of a car. The strange angle of her body.

The voice coming from the front seat.

"…I'm sorry, Katherine. He wanted the moonstone, and he wanted you."

She ended the call.

Panic gripped her tightly and Elena flew up from her laying position across the seats, her wide brown eyes fixed on the beautiful woman behind the wheel.

"Isobel," She breathed.

Black eyes, absent of any emotion, locked on hers through the rear-view mirror.

"You found him, didn't you?" It took everything she had to keep her voice steady. "He compelled you, forced you to betray Katherine."

"Even if he did, I couldn't tell you," Isobel sighed disinterestedly.

Elena felt her temper flare.

"So Klaus now knows where I am," She stated angrily. "Is that where you're taking me? To him?"

Wresting down her fear, Elena concentrated on her feelings of fury and betrayal as she stared at the back of her biological mother's head.

Without another word, they pulled into a large cemetery, the car coming to a gentle stop.

Isobel got out.

"If you don't come, I'll just compel you," She warned lightly, not even bothering to glance at her daughter over her shoulder to make sure that she was following.

Elena darted a quick glance behind her, chewing on her lip in indecision, knowing it was a bad idea, but following after the vampire anyway.

She hadn't taken more than three paces before she realised where they were. Mystic Falls cemetery.

"Why are we here?" She asked stonily, her eyes darkening with anger as she saw Isobel approach three familiar tomb stones.

Grayson Gilbert.

Miranda Gilbert.

Kira Gilbert.

Elena swallowed dryly, coming to a stop three paces behind Isobel.

"I'm sorry that I was such a disappointment, Elena," She spoke to her but her eyes never left her sister's grave. "It was never my intention to hurt you."

She cleared her throat uncomfortably, not knowing what to do. This woman had broken her dreams, smashed all hopes she had about her real mother. She _was _a disappointment. But Elena couldn't pretend that a part of her wasn't fascinated by the woman. Wasn't constantly looking for similarities between them.

She just wanted to know her.

Unfortunately, Isobel never seemed to hold the same level of interest in her.

"I'm done?" The soft, relieved sigh was unexpected and Elena watched with a racing heart as a truly brilliant smile lit up her mother's face.

Isobel shut the phone, slipping it into her coat pocket.

Elena watched, her body tense and ready to run, as the vampire slowly raised her hand to run a finger along the top of Kira's tombstone.

"…I'd have liked to meet her," The words were so soft, so vulnerable, but Elena heard them. And they hit her like a tonne of bricks.

"K-kira?" She stuttered, her throat going dry.

"I've asked people around town what she was like. Something tells me that I would have liked her," Isobel smiled a small smile. "I've always been able to run circles around the people in my life. Getting what I want has never been difficult." She turned her neck to look Elena straight in the eye. "I'm sure you know what I'm talking about," She told her knowingly, making Elena look away.

Because she did know.

Perhaps Katherine was right. Perhaps it was the Petrova fire in them, but neither twin had ever had much trouble outmanoeuvring the people in their lives. Manipulation and cleverness seemed to be an inescapable strength and flaw in their bloodline.

Kira had been better at it though.

"I'm sorry you had to meet me like this, Elena," Isobel said strongly, for the first time showing real emotion in her black eyes. "That you had to meet the part of me that would betray my own flesh and blood, and not the part of me that dreamed for years of meeting her two daughters."

"…What?" Elena stumbled forward with shock, her eyes wide.

Isobel looked back at Kira's grave, her eyes on nothing else.

"I'm sorry," She whispered.

Before Elena had a chance to do anything, it was too late. Isobel yanked her sunlight necklace from her neck, her pale skin catching fire almost instantly.

"No!"

But there was nothing she could do but watch. Watch as the woman who gave birth to her let out an ear-piercing scream before going up in flames. Her ashes floating down into the grass covering Kira's grave.

She'd wanted to be with her daughter.

The thought alone had Elena sinking to the ground, tears pouring down her cheeks.

The one place in the world she chose to die, and it was with the daughter she'd never had the chance to meet.

…

Kira smiled as she watched Davina dance with the young man who had pulled her into the circle.

She'd found the small, rag-tag jazz party that happened here every Friday night last week. Small fairy lights hung in stings around the modest, cobblestone courtyard while a group of six musicians played in the corner. Random people who walked upon the scene had been joining in the festivities all night; and they were far enough from the Quarter not to be spotted by Marcel.

Leaning against the tree behind her, Kira couldn't help but laugh as she watched Davina stumble, unused to the old-fashioned dancing she was participating in. But the girl was having a ball. Throwing her excited glances every time one of the young men twirled her around, making sure Kira was still watching her.

Breathing out slowly, she tilted her head so that she could see the bright stars through the tree branches above her.

So much had happened in just three weeks.

Finding Davina had been simple. All she'd done was follow the incredible power that now existed within the tiny fifteen-year-old.

After all these months of hoping, wishing, dreaming of someone being able to see her, finally, someone could.

Davina had known the exact moment she'd stepped into that church attic. Her eyes lighting up with both awe and happiness at the sight of her.

They didn't need to be touching for Davina to be able to see her anymore, and Kira knew enough about magic to have realised why.

Together, Davina filling her in on details of the Harvest ritual she hadn't been aware of, they'd finally understood what had happened that night in the cemetery.

Linked as they were at that crucial, all-important moment when the power of the three sacrificed girls transferred to Davina, so too, had it transferred to Kira.

They were linked. In a way that wasn't meant to be possible.

She'd known she could do it. When she was emotional and wanted it enough, Kira had known that she had the ability to interact with the world of the living in a way few other witches ever had the power to.

But even being as powerful as she knew she must be, that phenomenal ability to affect the living world took everything out of her for the most minute results. Whatever her ability to change the living world, it was small. And that wouldn't change. No matter how much she learned.

But that night, when her emotions and anger and power had all focused itself towards helping Davina escape her fate, she'd been able to link her magic to Davina's. Acted through her. Shaped and sculpted their combined power in order to run.

What they had done was something truly impossible. Because _everything_ had to be right. Everything had to fall into place.

And it had.

Davina, as desperate, as powerful as her, had met her subconscious intention with determination. Their dual will and unyielding desire to fight had enabled them to make a connection that was almost impossible to achieve.

But they had.

And then, then luck had stepped in.

Because when half the power of the Harvest transferred to Kira, the link between them solidified. The power refusing and unable to leave the mortal plane.

She hadn't been able to do much. A spell there, a nudge here, but it was eons away from what she should have been able to do.

And when she and Davina pooled their powers, it was like she wasn't dead at all. The magic within her flowed and interacted with the world of the living as easily as any other alive servant of nature.

But for that to happen, she and Davina had to be in physical contact with each other.

Smiling to herself, Kira couldn't help the hum of happiness that resonated in her chest. The excitement of what had happened, the uniqueness, the second chance; it filled her with purpose and hope.

Hope that now, now her afterlife would get better.

That she wouldn't be alone.

Useless.

"You need to stop." The words were whispered in her ear and Kira spun around, shock invading her system as she realised that someone was talking to _her._

Dark brown eyes, narrowed with anger, glared at her from within a face she recognised all too well.

"You," She quirked an eyebrow, folding her arms across her chest.

Standing in front of her, wearing the same ancient garb she had that night in Seattle, was the dark-skinned woman who'd locked eyes with hers before the both of them had been banished from the trio's house that night they'd tried to locate Silas.

"Yes," A dark, unamused smirk curled up the corners of her mouth as she regarded Kira closely. "Me."

"Nice to see you again," Kira inclined her head with a sarcastic smile. "You're looking much better than you were the last time I saw you." The barb was as obvious as it was pointed.

"If memory serves, you weren't doing much better that night yourself," The witch threw back at her sharply.

Remembering the suffocating pain of the banishing spell that had ejected her from the witches' property that night, Kira grimaced. Unable to stop herself from rolling her shoulders in the same way that she had when she was alive and hoping to loosen the tension in her muscles.

"Who are you?" She demanded coldly. Because she wasn't a fool. This meeting, however it was happening, was anything but a coincidence.

"You can call me Tessa," The woman said, her tone amused. "And before you ask, yes, I do have a purpose in speaking with you."

"I guessed," Kira smirked, looking over her shoulder to make sure Davina was still within her sights.

This was the first spirit she'd seen since she died. There must be others, she knew, but somehow, having to watch and observe the living without their knowledge wasn't punishment enough. You had to do it alone. Never seeing anyone. Never talking to anyone.

Alone.

Except this woman.

There was no confusion in her eyes. No surprise. She'd sought Kira out, and somehow, she could talk to her and be seen by her just because she desired it.

And that put her on edge.

"You know, in all my years watching over the world from the other side, no supernatural creature, be it werewolf, vampire or witch, has ever caused me trouble."

"Is that so?" Her tone was light, but her eyes were sharp, suspicious.

Tessa's face suddenly became stone, all friendliness melting from her features with a swiftness that immediately had Kira on guard.

Whoever this woman was, she was no friend of hers.

"You're causing me problems, Kira," Tessa informed her harshly. "Ones that, while I admit, weren't anticipated, I will correct if I have to."

Kira surveyed the woman closely, her eyes scrutinising. The power rolling off the witch was incredible, beyond her own, that was for certain. But Kira was anything but easily cowered. And she saw something in Tessa's eyes that she knew the ancient witch had had no intention of sharing with her.

Worry.

"Tessa…," She said the name slowly, letting the syllables roll slowly off her tongue. "Considering the…robe, that you're wearing," She waved a hand at her toga-style wrap with a condescending smirk. "Something tells me that that isn't your real name. Which, you have to admit, is very rude. Especially, considering the circumstances."

"You have no idea who you're messing with, little girl," Tessa growled at her warningly.

"True," Kira nodded, smiling sunnily. "But I also know that whatever it is about me that has caused you these…problems; you wouldn't have bothered coming to speak to me personally if the solution was as simple as you imply."

"You foolish girl!" Stalking froward, Tessa's brown eyes blazed with fury as she stared her down. "You are involving yourself in forces that are beyond you!"

"Is this about the Harvest?" Kira asked lightly, her casualness so at odds with Tessa's thunderous expression it was almost comical. "Have I done something to mess up the 'oh so convenient' afterlife that all supernaturals are subjected to?"

"The other side has existed for more than two thousand years-!"

"Then I'd say it's about time that there was some change," Kira interrupted icily. All humour gone from her voice. "Wouldn't you agree,…_Qetsiyah_?" The dark-skinned woman slowly drew back, surprise clear in her eyes. "Don't look at me like that," She tsked disapprovingly. "After I found out that I was living in hell all because of a woman once scorned, well, I wanted to know as much about you as possible."

Tessa smiled darkly, her confidence returning with a vengeance.

"I see," She nodded slowly, tilting her head to the side as her dark eyes ran over Kira's slim figure calculatingly.

"I have no wish to make your petty, idiotic spirit-world easier for you, Qetsiyah," She hissed, doing nothing to hide the anger that was simmering inside of her. "I don't give a damn about Silas, or you. Your time is long over."

"As is yours," Tessa chuckled, eyes gleaming. "I'm more powerful than you, Kira. If you do not stop interacting with the living world, I will crush you. I promise."

"And as I said before, if it were that simple, Qetsiyah, you would have done something about it already."

Impatience flashed across brown eyes. Her impertinence and arrogant scorn causing Tessa to make, what Kira would later understand to be, the worst miscalculation of her existence.

"Your thoughtless actions have almost caused you to rip a hole in the other side, you stupid girl! Linking yourself, your magic, to an actual living person, is causing the weaves I have created to loosen! Your magic is neither living nor dead and it is wreaking havoc on the rules governing the Other Side!"

Kira's mouth dropped open, her eyes wide as she stared in complete silence at the fuming, menacing figure before her.

Of course.

…She'd thought,_ knew,_ that it had to be something like that. It was the only explanation she had for the difference in her powers. In her ability to influence the living world. But Qetsiyah's words had inadvertently answered any lingering doubts she'd had.

A tear.

Linking with Davina, sharing the power of the Harvest, casting spells from the other side with far more success, it was all connected! It was all working together!

A slow, brilliant grin stretched across her lips. Sapphire eyes blazing with light.

"You're afraid," She breathed with sudden, all-consuming realisation.

Qetsiyah jerked back as if struck.

"If I keep doing what I've been doing; casting magic,...those weaves…, they're going to loosen further, aren't they?" She asked eagerly, her mind running a mile a minute.

"I won't let that happen," Qetsiyah told her darkly, eyes completely serious.

"Oh, I'm sure you'll give it your best effort, _Tessa,_" Kira laughed without humour. "But, see, I don't want to stay here. In this prison _you _constructed. And something tells me, when those weaves loosen enough, they'll tear. And when that happens, you'll work like hell to close it back up again. Only problem is, if you close it before I slip free, I'll just tear another hole in the fabric somewhere else, and you'll have to do the same thing all over again."

"…You're smart," Tessa smiled cruelly. "And while that may indeed be true, I think you also know that if you did that, others might also slip through that tear before you got to it, and before I could close it. Are you really that selfish?" Her voice was almost like a dare, a challenge.

She didn't think she'd do it.

"Those that you let back into the world will be confused. If they're vampires, all the people they kill after their resurrection will be _your _fault…Can you really live with that?"

Long seconds of silence passed as the two stared each other down. Neither willing to budge.

Kira slowly lent forward.

"Yes," She whispered.

Disbelieving, bone-jarring shock fluttered across Qetsiyah's face as she read the truth of Kira's answer in her eyes.

It wasn't long before murderous rage took its place.

"If you dare-!"

"Oh, I do," Kira smiled thinly, cutting her off. "And when that tear happens, Qetsiyah, you'll have to make a choice. Let me go, and close the hole behind me. Or spend the next however many years of your existence desperately chasing after me, terrified that this time, you'll be too late."

...


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries or The Originals

…

"Why are you still here?" Kira snapped, whirling around to face the woman following her.

"Simple," Tessa shrugged, unperturbed by her anger. "I'm waiting until sense seeps into that thick head of yours before you do any more damage."

"Damage?" She laughed, the people walking down the street having no idea that two spirits were currently having an argument right in front of them. "Damage to what? Your world? This…sadistic, twisted hell?!"

"It's death, sweetheart," The mocha skinned witch smirked, black eyes laughing at her naïvety. "It's not supposed to be a walk in the park."

"But it's not supposed to be this, is it?" She shot back instantly, fury gnawing at her insides. "You constructed the Other World. You! And what for? Because you're a scorned woman? Please! I have no duty or reason to help you keep your twisted little reality."

The nerve of the witch!

Spinning around, she stormed off through the crowds, Tessa hot on her heels.

"I may have created this world, but it has become the norm, Kira," She advised warningly. "Nature has found a balance to its existence and it is now just as much a part of our reality as the living world is. There will be consequences if you thwart it. If you flout its rules."

"Well, then," Kira smiled sarcastically, throwing her a dark look over her shoulder. "Nature better get cracking, because I have no intention of staying here a moment longer than I have to, and it's just going to have to deal with that."

Galvanised fury mixed with untold frustration blazed to life in the ancient witch's eyes, barely able to comprehend the sheer gall of the teenager in front of her.

"You are so much like your family," Qetsiyah hissed, hate dripping from her black eyes. "You don't care about the people around you so long as _you _get what you want, isn't that right?"

Kira froze.

Turning slowly, sapphire eyes were thin and threatening as they locked on the far more powerful witch in front of her.

"What the hell do _you_ know of _my _family?" Her voice was low, soft.

Tessa's face transformed, her back straightening with smugness as she finally saw her words hit home. She should have known that that was what it was going to take. She should have brought up the Petrovas long ago.

"More than you think," She breathed. "I've known your family for a very long time, Kira. You're all the same. Selfish. Manipulative. Hateful-"

The laugh bubbled up inside of her before she knew what was happening, but Kira didn't even try to stop it, letting the truly mirthful sound echo mockingly through the air.

"Of course!" Running a hand through her long, mahogany locks, she couldn't stop the laughter that kept spilling from her lips. "The man who scorned you, the one that you created this…loverly paradise for, my ancestor took him from you, didn't she?"

Qetsiyah's eyes flashed with a fury that Kira had never seen the like of before. A rage so deep, so hot, she knew without a doubt that she was right.

"Oh," Fanning her face dramatically, her mouth widened into a truly pleased grin. "This is too good."

The pain came suddenly and without warning.

Crying out, the pain in her head drove her to her knees, knives lancing through her eyes.

"Do not test me, girl," A shadow fell over her, blocking out the light as the agony in her head grew worse. "You know nothing of the workings of the world, nothing! You will do as I say, I promise you."

The icy knives digging into her skull suddenly vanished, causing Kira to fall forward as reality abruptly returned to her. How had she hurt her?! Spirits didn't feel pain!

"You forget, Kira," The whispered words fanned over her face and she looked up only to meet Qetsiyah's darkened features inches from her own. "You have family, loved ones, who still live. I may still be bound by the rules of the Other Side, same as everyone else, but I created this plane. I can accomplish things here that _no _other is capable of."

Hate stormed through her, her breathing still short as her body slowly recovered.

"Stay away from my family," She growled furiously, hating the cunning knowledge in Tessa's eyes. "This is between you and I, no-one else."

She laughed. Laughed!

"Oh, I knew you were young, but I didn't realise that you were stupid," The dark-skinned witch smiled down at her. "You keep going the way you're going, I will do whatever I must to stop you. And that includes going after your darling little family." Tilting her head to the side, she adopted a fake compassionate expression. "Think how…sad and alone little Jeremy and…_beautiful _Elena will feel if they lose anyone else they love."

"How-?!"

"Do I know about them?"

For the first time since dying Kira felt lost for words. Unable to believe that the witch knew the names of her siblings! And the hate that coated her voice when she'd spoken Elena's name! Fuck!

Climbing gracefully to her feet, Kira stared down at the spiteful woman with a truly lethal look.

"You don't know me," She whispered. "You might have…thousands of years of experience, Qetsiyah, but I'm good at reading people. You're worried. You're worried that I might actually go through with it, and you're right. Stay away from my family. I mean it," She warned seriously, no mocking, no conceit in her voice. Only cold, hard expectation. "Because I swear to God, if you do _anything _to hurt them, I will find a way to hurt you. I don't care how impossible it is. I _will _find a way…I _always _do."

Staring at her in silence for a long moment, Tessa suddenly scoffed, flipping her long hair over her shoulder.

"You're blind, girl. Utterly blind."

…

Jeremy leaned back against the wall, closing his eyes.

What was he supposed to do?

If Bonnie succeeded, if she killed Klaus with the power given to her by the witches, she'd die.

And if she didn't, Elena would.

Banging his fist against the wall behind him, Jeremy barely repressed the furious yell begging to leave his throat. Pulling violently at the brown strands of his hair as he stared unseeingly at the school floor beneath his feet.

This shouldn't be up to him! This shouldn't be his decision! It wasn't fair!

"Jeremy! Jeremy!" Looking up into Stefan's concerned eyes, he quickly glanced away, wiping the sweat beading on his brow with the back of his hand.

"Yeah," He croaked, frowning in confusion at Stefan's jogging figure. "What's up?"

"You shouldn't be out here by yourself, Jeremy," Stefan scolded firmly. "Elena was worried when she couldn't find you."

Biting back the bitter laugh rising in his throat, he just nodded. Trying to get himself back together.

"Klaus hasn't shown himself yet?" He checked, the mere thought sending a spear of dread through his stomach.

"No," Stefan shook his head, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "Which is all the more reason we need to stick together. He can't separate us, Jeremy."

"I know," He snapped, his voice short.

Stefan's eyes darted up to lock with his.

"…Is there something going on, Jeremy?" The vampire asked slowly, eyes narrowed. "Elena thought that you were acting strange before, distant…Do you know something?"

Abruptly, and without warning, the guilt and despair that had been drowning him all night seemed to suddenly increase, becoming unbearable.

"Jeremy, if you know something, you have to tell me!"

The words poured out of him before he even had a chance to stop them.

"If Bonnie uses her powers to kill Klaus, it will kill her," He cried furiously.

Stefan's face immediately fell, dark green eyes widening with horror.

"What?" He breathed.

Jeremy nodded tightly, pacing up and down the hall filled with lockers.

"What am I supposed to do?!" He demanded emotionally. "If I say nothing, I'm sending my girlfriend to her death! Knowingly! But, if we don't let Bonnie do this, Elena will die."

Stefan seemed to have no words, gazing down the hall with racing eyes.

"I have to tell Elena," The vampire finally murmured, his hands resting beneath the sixties suit jacket he was wearing. "She has to know."

"She'll never let Bonnie sacrifice herself for her," Jeremy spoke coldly, glaring darkly at his sister's boyfriend. "You know that, right? You know that as soon as you tell her, you could be killing Elena?"

"This isn't right, Jeremy!" Stefan exclaimed, throwing his arms into the air.

"Don't you think I know that?!" He roared, his yell echoing ominously through the school halls. "Don't you think that this is tearing me apart?! I've lost a sister before, Stefan. I know _exactly _how unbearable the pain is. I know exactly what Elena's death will do to me."

Stefan stared at him in silence for a long, tense moment before his head finally fell.

"She has a right to know what her best-friend is planning, Jeremy," He told him softly, his mind made up.

He just nodded, the lump in his throat and dangerous prickle behind his eyes making him look away.

Stefan started walking back the way he'd come, heading towards the gym.

"You've never lost a sibling, Stefan," His words were quiet, almost inaudible, but Stefan was no ordinary human. He stopped. "You don't know what it's like…I loved my parents, but I knew that they'd die someday. I knew that I'd have to live without them. But siblings? They're there from the beginning. Through everything. And they're not supposed to leave you. They are the people who see _everything._"

Stefan turned back around slowly, his eyes pained.

"I know, Jeremy," He said softly.

"I can't lose another sister, Stefan," Jeremy's voice was icy, bereft of all emotion as he stared into the younger Salvatore's eyes. "I've already lost one, I can't bear to lose another."

…

"That's it, think about what you want the plant to do. Block everything else out. You don't care about anything but that plant growing, flowering, coming to life. Nothing else matters to you," Coaching Davina in a soft, mesmerising voice, Kira watched the vibrant orchid grow, a brilliant purple flower blooming from within the dark green leaves. "Well done." The pride in her voice was unmistakable.

"I did it!" Davina screamed, clapping her hands with excitement.

Before Kira had a chance to do anything, her arms were full of the thrilled fifteen-year-old, Davina's happy voice chatting excitedly in her ear.

"I can't believe I did it! I mean, we've been trying but I keep setting them on fire, or making them explode, but I did it! I did it, Kira!"

"You did," She laughed, smiling as she hugged the girl back. "I told you that you could."

"You're brilliant," Davina announced, pulling back with a huge grin.

The smile on her face dropped, guilt filling her.

"What it is?" The brunette witch asked quickly, her face worried as she grasped Kira's hands in her own. "What's wrong?"

Shaking her head, Kira drew in a deep breath, telling herself that it was time.

"Davina…" Why was this so hard?! "I have to go away for a while," She said weakly.

The reaction was immediate and as explosive as she was anticipating.

"What?!"

"I have to, Dav, please understand," She begged, following the retreating girl with quick steps.

"But why?!" She demanded, eyes glassy with quickly swelling tears. "Why do you have to go?!"

Pressing a hand to her forehead, she prayed for patience, knowing that getting upset with the emotional witch wasn't going to help things.

"My family," She attempted to explain, the words not coming easily to her. "I have to-I just have to make sure that they're doing alright. I haven't been back since I left and I'm worried-"

"Why would you be worried?" Davina interrupted, the tears in her eyes drying with a swiftness that made Kira laugh. Instead of betrayal in her eyes, now the only thing that remained was concern. Concern for her. "Did something happen?"

Staring into her earnest brown eyes, Kira just smiled, shaking her head.

Davina didn't deserve to suffer with the knowledge that it wasn't just the witches that were living that had a problem with the outcome of the Harvest ritual, but the dead ones too. She was already so unhappy, so suspicious of everyone's motives…it didn't concern her anyway. This was her problem, and her problem only.

But Qetsiyah's threats had refused to leave her mind. Whatever she seemed to do the memory of her brother and sister's names leaving the witch's mouth refused to leave her thoughts. Haunting her.

She needed to check on them.

Just to make sure.

She needed to know that there was nothing in Qetsiyah's words, that there was nothing to worry about. And talking herself down wasn't cutting it anymore. She needed to see the proof of Jeremy and Elena's safety for herself.

If she was going to have any peace at all, she needed to make sure.

"No, Davina, nothing happened," Kira assured her, her lie expertly hidden. "But it's time, you know? And I won't be gone long. A week, tops."

"…You really want to go see them, don't you?" Davina said quietly, an insecure look in her eyes. "You miss them?"

"Yeah," She rolled her eyes with a laugh, tugging the younger witch into a tight hug. "But I'm going to be back soon, alright? I promise."

"So it's more of a drop in, make sure they're all good, and leave again, kind of deal?" Davina reiterated in her own unique way.

"You could say that," Kira laughed. "I just need to see that they're all doing fine, with my own eyes, that's all."

…

_Kira's back in Mystic Falls next chapter! Yay! Can't wait to write about her thoughts on what her siblings have gotten themselves involved in :)_


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries or The Originals

…

"Home, sweet home," Kira murmured to herself, staring up at the achingly familiar house she'd grown up in.

God, it was weird being here. Being back.

Looking over her shoulder, Kira couldn't help shaking her head in a certain amount of disbelief as she saw Mr Stennings washing his car by the side of the road, just as he always had.

"Unbelievable," She muttered, robotically climbing the steps of her huge porch. "Nothing's changed."

At that moment, she saw a familiar land rover turn the corner, the light-haired woman behind the wheel sending a pang of longing through her.

"Jenna…" She whispered, almost reverently.

Her favourite and only Aunt hopped from the car, striding across the lawn and up to the front-door with a purposeful walk.

"What is it, Rick?" Jenna snapped into phone she had pressed to her ear as she rooted around in her bag for the house keys. "I had nothing to say to you three days ago, and I have nothing to say to you now."

Rick?

Raising an eyebrow at the unfamiliar name, Kira followed her Aunt into the house as she finally got the door open.

"You want to talk?" Jenna's voice was incredulous, and her face reflected the feeling. "…Fine," She finally agreed, obviously convinced by whatever it was the stranger on the other line was saying. "I'll meet you at the Grill for lunch." Without another word, she hung up, letting her travel bag fall loudly to the floor.

And, for the first time, Kira noticed just how full her Aunt's bag was; a stirring of unease settling in her gut as she realised that there had to be at least a week's worth of clothes in there.

"Elena? Jeremy?" Jenna shouted up the stairs.

Unexpected anticipation seized her as she heard her siblings' names, Kira's neck snapping around to watch the staircase in expectation. Only, no-one came down.

"Where are they?" Her Aunt's worried mutter had sapphire eyes widening and she spun around with shock.

Where are they?…Where are they?! What the hell did she mean, 'Where are they'?! She should know where they were!

Pacing around her steadily panicking Aunt, Kira threw her a mean look when her calls to Jeremy and Elena, again, rang out.

"How can you not know, Jenna?" She growled.

Following the other woman into the kitchen, she stared at her as she bit her lip anxiously before dialling another number. One that actually picked up.

"Hey, Stefan. It's Jenna," She sighed with relief, running a hand over her eyes. "Where's Elena and Jeremy? No-one's answering their phones."

The sound of a second, unfamiliar name, provoked a dark glare from the temperamental witch, her hands balling into tight fists against the kitchen counter.

"She left me all these weird messages telling me to stay away from Rick. What's going on?" Jenna demanded coldly.

In fact, her entire demeanour screamed agitation and iciness; something that Kira had never seen in her normally low-maintenance Aunt.

"Oh, well," Hating that she couldn't hear the other half of the conversation, Kira unashamedly moved around the counter to press her ear against the back of the phone. "That's kinda hard to do from my kitchen."

_"Wait, you're home?" _Sapphire eyes narrowed at the rude question.

Who was this guy?!

"Yeah. What's going on?" Obviously finding the exclamation just as abrupt as Kira, Jenna ran a frustrated hand through her hair. "Where's Elena? I'm supposed to meet Rick at the Grill for lunch, to talk."

_"Jenna, listen to me carefully," _The masculine voice on the other end of the line suddenly became panicked. His voice taking on an authoritative tone that set Kira's teeth on edge. _"Whatever you do, do not meet Alaric at the Grill. I'm going to come over right now and I'll explain everything."_ Before Jenna had the chance to say anything, the dial tone echoed down through the phone, ending the call.

Kira pulled back slowly.

What-the-hell-was-that?!

Her Aunt's face looked as shocked as hers as she stared down at the device, her lips pinched.

He'd hung up on her!

The doorbell suddenly chimed, dragging both of them from their inner thoughts.

Pulling herself up onto the dining room table, something her mum always used to scold her for doing, Kira watched with sharp eyes as her aunt and…some middle-aged guy, walked back into the kitchen.

"What are you doing here, Rick?" Jenna sighed, fixing the man with a cold stare.

"I missed you," He smiled thinly.

Kira observed the conversation that unfolded in front of her with a certain amount of disbelief mixed with disgust.

It had become obvious to her, not ten-seconds into their tense little chat, that the two were involved, and that he'd done something huge to get such a standoffish response from her usually mild-mannered aunt.

But no matter how much she started questioning Jenna's taste in men as the conversation continued on, that was nothing compared to the absolute hell that was the feeling of fire ants under her skin.

From the moment the sleaze had first walked into the room, a horrible itching had started burning her skin. Uncomfortable at first, but building to an aggravation she hadn't a hope of ignoring ten minutes later.

What the hell was wrong with her?! If she didn't know any better she would say that she was having a massive allergic reaction!

"Ah, Stefan, you're here," Alaric grinned, his gaze on the doorway.

When Kira finally pulled her attention away from her scratching enough to look at the newcomer, she wasn't very impressed.

Standing, like a deer caught in headlights, was the handsome guy she'd seen her sister fall over herself for that day outside the men's bathroom.

Well, rolling her eyes she glared hatefully at her skin, guess her prediction about them getting together was right.

"You know, I find chopping…calming. The feel of the blade in the hand, maybe," Alaric shrugged.

Her fingers stilled, sapphire eyes coming up to lock on her aunt's turned away figure. "Great, Jenna, this is great. You've been sleeping with a sociopath."

"I'm still waiting for someone to tell me what the hell's going on!"

"Well," The man behind the counter smirked darkly. "Would you like to tell her, Stefan? Or should I?"

"Tell me what?" Jenna snapped, her eyes jumping between the two men, waiting for an answer.

"Do you believe in vampires, Jenna?" The innocuous question was like a bucket of ice water down her spine, the itching fire beneath her skin ceasing immediately. It's warning superfluous now.

Vampires.

"No? Well," He laughed gaily. "Who does, right? But, believe it or not, they do have a place in our history. And, as a history teacher, I find them fascinating."

Getting up from her sitting position slowly, Kira narrowed her eyes on the smug individual cutting vegetables in _her _kitchen.

"Why are we talking about this?" Jenna threw her hands up in the air, her patience exhausted.

The rest of the exchange was lost on her as Kira's eyes inexplicably locked on something she had never expected to find in Mystic Falls.

Sitting on Stefan's finger, plain as day, was a very familiar looking ring. One she'd seen over and over again in the last few months…on the hands of vampires.

Spending as long as she had in New Orléans, a place that vampires didn't even try to hide, Marcel's inner circle of daywalkers hadn't been something easily missed.

A daylight ring.

"Get out of here, Jenna!" Stefan roared, the deafening order, combined with the sudden terror on her aunt's face, bringing her back down to earth swiftly.

And that's when she saw it.

The evidence of what she already knew.

Dark, pulsing veins of black rippled out to surround the delicate skin around Stefan's eyes. Dangerous, sharp, white fangs protruding from his upper lip as he held the history teacher against the wall.

"Run!"

…

"I'm so sorry," Elena sobbed, clutching at their aunt as if she was the one in need of comfort. "I wanted to tell you, but I didn't know how. I didn't want you to be in danger."

Standing with her arms crossed, her body rigid, Kira stared down at her twin, her other half, with barely contained anger.

She'd known.

Elena knew exactly the monster that she'd brought into their family's lives, into their house, but she hadn't cared.

Turning her head to the left, sapphire eyes narrowed into slits as she saw the two vampires hovering outside the lavish sitting room. Their eyes locked on one thing, and one thing only. Her sister.

Listening to the quick explanation Elena gave Jenna, more and more things started to become clear, and as they did, her anger rose.

"I have to go back," Her sister told Stefan with forced calm, leaving Jenna to her thoughts for now. "I promised Elijah that I would come back."

"Elena," His tone was pained, forest green eyes filled with denial.

Elena smiled, raising a hand to stroke the skin of his cheek softly.

Kira watched it all with a smouldering glare.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" The darker Salvatore spat, grabbing a hold of her sister's arm tightly.

"Let me go, Damon!"

"Am I the only one interested in seeing you live past tomorrow?!" He asked incredulously.

Stepping forward slowly, Kira gave the blue-eyed vampire a disgusted look as she caught sight of the scarf wrapped around the tan woman's neck.

He was feeding off of her.

Revulsion curled in her belly and she had to look away, wanting nothing more than to shove a stake through the arrogant, pompous male's heart.

"Let her go, Damon," Stefan got in the way of the two's stare-down, forcibly removing his brother's hand from his girlfriend.

"This is the second time you've stopped me today, brother," True darkness simmered in Damon's eyes as he spoke those words, a malicious cruelty that did nothing but increase Kira's seething displeasure. "I wouldn't try for a third." _This _was the type of person Elena allowed around their little brother?

Scoffing, she stalked after her twin as Elena quickly travelled towards her car, eyes locked on nothing besides the back of her sister's head.

"Oh, Elena," She murmured silkily, sliding gracefully into the passenger-side seat. "Do you really think we're all that stupid?"

Nothing in her twin's eyes showed that she'd heard the low question, the accusation in Kira's tone, and sapphire orbs took the opportunity to run slowly over her sister's visage.

Whether they had gotten on or not, she knew her sister. Knew how her mind worked. Knew her insecurities, her flaws, her strengths. Elena was a master at denying things she didn't want to deal with. Of living in a fantasy world, and not reality. Kira had always been the one to bring her back down to earth. To challenge her. Because you couldn't lie to a person better at deceiving than you were. And she'd always been the more duplicitous twin.

Shaking her head with disgust, she moved her eyes to stare out at the passing town and woods.

She'd seen it. That flare of flattery, of energy. Within Elena's dark brown eyes, she'd seen feminine pleasure at the way the Salvatores fought over her affections.

In a way, Kira didn't blame her. The vampires were handsome men. And she'd be the first to admit that darkness had a seductive appeal. To tell the truth, her sister's love life was her own affair, one that she'd usually leave to Elena. Because she was hardly innocent when it came to love.

She'd learnt early on that she was beautiful. Wanted. Coveted.

She wasn't an innocent when it came to men.

By any means.

And usually she'd let her twin have her fun, play her game, run her course, except, Elena had done something inexcusable.

Feeling the car stop, Kira watched her sister take in a deep, calming breath, her eyes like stone.

In pursuing the brothers, in allowing their affections, their love…She'd endangered their family.

…


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries or The Originals

…

"We both know that your little potion wouldn't have worked," Damon snapped, chucking back the bourbon he'd just poured.

Shaking her head, Kira turned back to stare out of the window she'd been gazing through for the last fifteen minutes.

"You know, Damon," Sliding the box shut, the dark-haired ancient glided gracefully towards the stairs. "You talk a big game, but you don't actually know anything."

How had things gone so wrong? Gotten this bad this fast? Every time she thought things couldn't possibly get more complicated, any worse, they did.

Curses.

Petrovas.

Doppelgängers.

…Originals.

That had been the most horrifying shock of them all.

Elena; her sister, her naïve, romantic twin, was the focus of not one, but two, Original vampires.

She'd heard of them, of course. The first family was a difficult thing to miss when you surrounded yourself with the cream of the supernatural world. But this was different. This wasn't theory, conjecture. This was staring right at her. Refusing to be ignored. Looking delectable in a suit.

"She'll never forgive you for this. And forever, for a vampire, is a very long time," Elijah murmured thoughtfully, his mild tone so at odds with the impact on Damon's face it was almost cruel.

He knew exactly how hard his words had hit the older Salvatore.

He'd intended them to.

Turning around, Kira stared blankly at the lost look on Damon's face, finding the smallest sympathy stirring inside of her at the bleakness in his eyes.

She didn't agree with her sister's decision to trust Elijah. He had no reason to go out of his way to make sure she survived. Such an occurrence would only be a plus to him, not a necessity. So, no. Unlike the raucous going on upstairs at the moment, Elena hyperventilating because she had vampire blood in her system, Kira was, for the first time, glad that Damon was around. He seemed to be the only one willing to make the difficult decisions in order to see that Elena survived tonight. Whether that be through waking up as a vampire or not, so be it.

Seeing the black-haired man leave the room, keys in hand, sapphire eyes lifted to the ceiling before following.

…

Walking at a fast pace, Kira pushed herself to keep step with the handsome blonde sociopath she was stalking.

Klaus.

It seemed unbelievable to her. The monster that scared the majority of the supernatural community to their very bones, and he was here, in Mystic Falls. Her hometown.

"Have you got them?" The english accent was a surprise but it fit him, lent his innocent visage a charming angle, an edge. "Good. Put them in the tomb." Without another word, he hung up, striding into a run-down apartment block.

Sitting with Damon and Alaric at the grill, listening to the black-haired vampire moan, she'd needed little incentive to follow the dangerous man who wanted to murder her sister when he'd left the grill, having delivered his threat.

She might not be able to do anything as a spirit, not anything without Davina here at least, but that didn't stop the overwhelming need to gather information on the enemy.

Being dead really was cultivating the worst habits. The little moral dilemmas of her youth, eavesdropping, stalking, spying; were now something she couldn't help but do. And in this case, she was going to use her invisible presence to the maximum. She wanted to know everything there was to know about Niklaus Mikaelson. His strengths, his weaknesses. Everything.

"Would you mind turning that down?"

Kira stopped short in the open doorway, sapphire eyes widening as she took in the vampire that had to be none other than Katherine Pierce.

"Shit…" She breathed, moving further into the room to circle the woman.

The differences between Elena and the vampire couldn't have been more stark. At least to her. And she wasn't talking about the curly hair. Katherine stood straighter. With a confident sensuality that spoke of a knowledge of what her appearance did to men. A dangerous, cunning aura seemed to wrap around the sexily dressed vampire, leaving Kira with the all too accurate impression that this woman was used to getting everything, anything that she wanted.

"Take off your bracelet," Klaus ordered, levelling the power of his sea-green eyes on the doppelgänger.

"B-but I'll burn," Katherine's voice trembled, real fear mixing with the smugness that had seconds before dominated her brown orbs.

"You have no choice," Klaus shrugged, as if it were out of his hands.

Kira's eyes narrowed on the by-play, seeing a loathing between the two that she'd rarely seen the like of before.

They truly despised each other.

Katherine slipped the sunlight bracelet from her slim wrist, stepping into the sun.

Screams tore through the apartment, both Kira and Klaus looking on at the scene with a detached curiosity. Klaus, taking pleasure in Katerina's pain. Kira, more interested in ascertaining his motives for asking the vampire to step into the light than the agony of a stranger.

"All right, that's enough," The blonde haired man waved casually. Katherine flashed into the shadows, pressing herself tightly against the brick wall at her back. "Guess I was wrong." He shrugged, turning back to the computer on the table.

Sapphire eyes narrowed as she watched Klaus pick up his phone, holding it out to Katherine with a cruel smirk curling his lips.

"Why are you giving me this?" Her ancestor asked shakily.

"Call Elena's aunt," The Original ordered. "Get her out of the house."

"But-"

"Unless, _you _want to take her place in the ritual?"

Horror storming through her, Kira fought down the urge to scream, knowing it would do no good, as she watched her sister's mirror image call Jenna. She put on a superb performance. A panicked, crying plea for Jenna to come pick her up from the school. And Kira knew it would work. Her aunt was probably racing out of the house as they spoke, nothing but worry for her niece clouding her thoughts.

No! No! This could not be happening!

Throwing one, last scorching glare at the dangerous Original she'd never wished to have to see, Kira spun on her heel, and ran.

…

Clutching Jenna's dead body in her arms, Elena cried softly into her Aunt's reddish blonde hair, her throat sore from all the tears she'd shed.

This wasn't supposed to happen.

Jenna was never meant to get involved.

Stroking the back of her finger along her aunt's cool cheek, another wave of tears pulled at her lungs, burning her eyes.

And suddenly…she wanted her sister.

Terrified, grief-stricken, tormented…all she wanted in that moment was Kira right here beside her. Telling her that it would be alright. That she'd fix it. That she had nothing to worry about. Because unlike Stefan and even Damon's words to the same effect, she'd never believed them. But her sister? Her twin? She'd have found a way out of this. Elena knew she would have. She'd have done whatever needed to be done, betrayed anyone they needed to betray, gone to whatever lengths she needed to go to in order to make this situation disappear.

She just-! Hiccuping, she pulled Jenna deeper into her lap, drawing comfort from her familiar presence. She wanted her sister! Was that so bad? Was that such a crime?!

She just wanted Kira's blazing blue eyes to lock with hers, to see her throw a hateful look Greta's way, and when Klaus eventually arrived…

Kira would have fixed it.

She would have fixed everything.

…

Standing still in the square, hands hanging limply at her sides, Kira wracked her mind for a solution. There had to be something that she could do!

Staring up into the steadily darkening sky, sapphire eyes suddenly narrowed.

Of course.

She'd heard them talk about it in San Francisco. About a place of power in Virginia. It had taken her by surprise because she'd recognised the town's name. Her town. The young warlock had apparently been in touch with a very powerful witch that came from those parts, wanting her help, and had been making enquiries about the rumours of such a place.

If he'd been right…

Closing her eyes, Kira centred herself, forcing calm that she didn't feel into her mind.

Breathing out slowly, she _reached, _sending her magic out like a web, looking for anything that could possibly be holding that much power.

…There.

Eyes snapping open, she took off at run, following the direction her magic was pushing her in. Trees moved quickly, her spirit body never tiring, and it was barely half an hour later, the sun having finally set, that she reached her destination.

Emerging from the thick trees into the valley below, her eyes instantly focused on the run-down, enormous white manor standing on the crest of the hill.

Power.

Absolute, incredible power circled the structure, warning off deceivers.

Without any hesitation, Kira stalked forward, determined to find some way to salvage this night. To save her family. Because she'd be damned if the hundred spirits occupying the mansion refused to help her.

"Why did he take Jenna?" The soft, distraught question pulled her up short, and Kira turned around with a shocked look as she located the source of the enormous magic she could feel pulsing beneath her skin.

Bonnie.

"A punishment for meddling," Elijah stated grimly, sharing a look full of understanding with Stefan Salvatore.

"It's not fair," Bonnie said bitterly, her eyes glassy.

But Kira was much more interested in the ocean of power she could feel swirling through her old friend. It was more magic than even the Harvest had gifted Davina and her with!

How was that possible?!

Unless…

Eyes widening, she looked quickly up at the suddenly quiet structure above her…Of course…

Shoving her hair back violently, Kira let a little scream of fury leave her lips, pressing closed fists tightly against her skull.

They'd already given their power to Bonnie.

There was none left for her to use!

…

Standing silently in the corner of the room, she couldn't help her eyes from darting, once again, over to John Gilbert.

Her _Father._

She was adopted. Unbelievable!

Pushing off from the mouldy wall at her back, Kira paced the room, watching Bonnie perform the linking spell with mixed feelings.

On the one hand, this was her sister, her twin, and she wanted her to survive, more than she wanted John to live. But he was still her family. And, apparently, one half of the reason that she was even on this planet at one point.

She'd never given John much thought. He'd always just sort of been there. He was her Uncle. She didn't particularly like him, but neither did she dislike him. She just hadn't….cared enough to get to know him. Always having something to do.

She wondered if she should feel guiltily for that indifference. If it had hurt him. But, no matter how hard she tried to conjure the emotion, she couldn't. That's just not who she was. She lived in the moment, and Kira had never been in a place in her life that Uncle John's presence ever affected her. Was she supposed to lie?

Watching Jeremy fall unconscious into John's waiting arms, Kira finally just shook her head, walking briskly out of the room to join the little war council outside.

Elena was all that mattered at the moment. Elena and Jenna. There was nothing she could do about John. The acknowledgment sent the smallest lance of sadness racing through her and she almost sagged in relief, the evidence of some empathy inside of her soothing her conscience.

"Bonnie is the only weapon that we'll need," Elijah stated confidently, leading the way towards the quarry.

Huffing out a breath, furious with the events that had spiralled out of her control, Kira kept pace with the determined Original, just as eager as he was to reach the ritual as quickly as possible.

…

Folding the letter in two, John carefully slid the paper inside the envelope before taking his ring off and placing it on top of the letter.

"Are you scared?" Jeremy's soft voice broke the silence between them and he looked up to see his nephew staring at him through sad eyes. "To die?"

Shaking his head, he rose slowly from the rickety chair. "No." Crossing his arms across his chest, he peered out the dirty, grease-stained window, his mind on what Elena was going through right now. "I'm not afraid to die."

"…Why?"

Breathing out, he gave Jeremy a small, sad smile. "When your parents died, your Dad, I lost my way. Grayson and I…we were thick as thieves growing up, but we took different paths in life and grew apart. Knowing that he wasn't ever going to be there any more was hard." Swallowing with difficulty, he forced himself to go on. "…But it's nothing compared to what I felt when I heard that Kira…your sister…that she was in that car too."

Jeremy looked liked he'd been punched, the colour draining from his face. "...Kira?"

"People say that the worst kind of loss in the world is when a parent looses their child, and they're right," John said tightly. "I might not have been a father to Elena or Kira, but I watched them grow up. I knew them. They were _mine…_I remember being there when they took their first steps, when they talked for the first time. And I remember the moment I realised that while I'd never have to worry about Elena, Kira was going drive me to an early grave," He laughed, memories floating through his mind of happier times.

"She used to drive Mum and Dad to distraction," Jeremy admitted with a small grin. "I remember this time when the twins were fourteen and Dad caught them sneaking in through the window after curfew; Elena was scared out of her mind, but Kira, she got that stubborn look in her eye, that one that told you you'd never win, and she proceeded to talk and argue her way out of what should have been at least four weeks of grounding."

John knew his face was betraying how utterly captured he was by the story, but he didn't care. He'd spent so long making sure he never showed just how interested he was in the two girls, his two girls, that it was beyond wonderful not to have to pretend anymore.

Smiling to himself, John fingered the ring on wooden table, his heart hurting at the thought of his youngest daughter never having a chance to learn about their heritage, about him, but he'd see her soon. He'd see them all soon.

And he could wait for Elena. Happily.

"I'll be with them, Jeremy," He told his nephew softly. "With my brother, and my Kira. So, no…I'm not scared."

...

"I didn't bury them at sea," Klaus gasped, choking on the blood in his lungs. "They're safe. Their bodies are safe." Grabbing ahold of the arm Elijah had buried in his chest, Kira took a panicked step forward when she read the pure shock that bloomed in Elijah's eyes.

No. He couldn't believe him!

"I'll take you to them," Niklaus promised, nodding at his brother.

"Do it!" Bonnie snarled, her eyes aflame having caught the same wavering in Elijah's eyes that Kira had. "Do it, or I take you both out."

Kira breathed deeply through her nose, sapphire eyes narrowed on Elijah's conflicted face, searching frantically for the smallest change in expression. For how he was going to react. What he was going to do!

"You'll die," Elijah scoffed furiously, throwing Bonnie a look devoid of patience.

"I don't care!"

Everything seemed to stop in that moment. The air, the blazing heat of the fire, the intense magic surrounding them. Everything just stopped.

And in that moment Elijah turned back to look at his brother, tortured indecision clear in his eyes. And she just knew.

Kira knew exactly what he was going to do. Who he was going to choose.

Because she would have made the same choice.

And it was that foresight, that understanding, that allowed Kira to act where the others were too slow.

Throwing out her arm, Kira poured everything she had into her desperate need to break Elijah's legs. To keep him here. To give Bonnie enough time to launch her attack. She couldn't possibly take them down by herself, but she'd be damned if she let them escape.

"I'm sorry," Elijah whispered, his arms moving to circle his injured brother and speed away, but something unexpected happened.

He cried out, falling to his knees, Klaus tumbling out of his arms.

Kira pushed her body for more, the sight of her sister's dead body, drained of blood, and her aunt's staked corpse, playing over and over in her mind's eye.

There was no way she was letting them leave. No way!

Her other arm joined its twin, twisting the small amount of power she had available to her, forcing the connection between Davina and her to its limit, interfering in the living world in a way no witch on the other side had ever been able to before.

"What are you doing?!" Elijah growled, brown eyes flashing furiously at Bonnie's bewildered, confused looking figure.

Pain spliced across her eyes and Kira cried out, the tenuous connection breaking.

The effect was instantaneous.

Elijah rose to his feet, the bending bones in his legs already healed, and collected his brother. Speeding away.

"No!" Stefan and Bonnie's twin shouts were nothing compared to Kira's overwhelming anger as she sunk to her knees against the dirt ground.

Fire still blazing around her, magic exhausted beyond the limit, sapphire eyes never moved from the spot the two Originals had disappeared from.

She'd failed.

She'd seen what Bonnie and Stefan hadn't, she'd seen the decision in Elijah's eyes as he was making it, and she'd acted. She'd done everything right. Everything! But she hadn't had the power to hold them. Not two Originals. No matter how angry or emotional she was. It wasn't enough. Not as she was. Not as a spirit.

Staring unseeingly down at her hands, drowning in the feeling of failure, of overwhelming, debilitating frustration; a cold, mocking laugh suddenly echoed around the Quarry.

Kira's head snapped up instantly, locking eyes with Qetsiyah's deeply amused face.

"Bravo, Kira," She crooned, her toga-style dress flaring out dramatically as she crouched down in front of her. "No one could fault your effort. Taking down an Original vampire is no easy feat. Why do think no other witch has ever managed to do anything to them from the other side?" She smiled cruelly.

"You followed me here?" Her voice was like shards of ice as she stared up at the woman. "Were you that worried?"

"Well," Tessa smirked, her eyes sweeping over the site of the sacrifice. "Judging from your lack of impact here tonight, I can relax. Perhaps I overestimated you."

Drawing back, Kira climbed slowly to her feet, suppressing the wince of pain as she settled cold eyes on the ancient witch opposite her. "Don't think you can manipulate me, Qetsiyah," She sneered. "The mere fact that you followed me to Mystic Falls betrays you."

"Don't be like that," The mocha skinned woman smiled at her in amusement. "The hybrid breaking his curse is news even to me." She shrugged. "I wanted to observe the monumental occasion."

"Of course," Kira chuckled darkly. "And I suppose you're also going to tell me that those weaves of yours haven't loosened further tonight?" The flash of anger across black eyes was all the confirmation she needed. "I thought so."

Turning to leave, her head pounding unceasingly against her skull, Kira paused at the edge of the trees, looking back at the loathsome woman one last time.

"It must be hard to watch the world you painstakingly constructed slowly unravel before your eyes, not able to do a thing about it. All because of the actions of an upstart, seventeen year old witch, no less." Sapphire eyes gleamed. "Must be killing you."


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries

…

Climbing the hill, Kira luxuriated in the fact that her muscles never burned, her joints never ached. Unless it was through channelling too much magic, her body never suffered on the other side.

"…You gave me your word, Niklaus," Elijah's stern, tense voice echoed through the trees, causing her head to snap up.

She'd been tracking the Mikealson brothers for twenty-four hours now, her determination to find them absolute.

"That's right," Hurrying her steps, Kira rounded the tree just in time to see Klaus' sea-green eyes lock with his brothers. "What was it that you wanted again? Oh, yes. I remember…You wanted to be reunited with our family."

Striding forward lazily, coming to a stop between the two dangerous men, sapphire eyes glinted with interest. Almost fortuitously, they were discussing the one topic that she was most intrigued by; the elusive Original family. The reason Elijah had betrayed them the night of the ritual and had chosen to spare his brother.

If their mere mention could stop the vampire when he'd been so committed to following through with the plan, to seeing Niklaus die…well, she wanted to know as much on the subject as possible.

…

"Jeremy!" Bonnie screamed, her hands coming up to cover her mouth as a loud, single gun-shot rang in the silence.

Nobody moved.

Caroline.

Sheriff Forbes.

…Jeremy.

Staring into his gentle brown eyes, Bonnie felt her own begin to swim as tears gathered with startling speed. There was nothing but shock and confusion on his face, as if Jeremy couldn't quite grasp what had just happened.

And then…the blood started.

As if the world had slowed to a crawl, the tiny pinprick of red bloomed in an ever widening circle across his chest, soaking the simple cotton material of his shirt.

Jeremy looked down, raising a hand to touch the fatal injury before once again glancing back up at her.

"Jeremy…" She whispered with horror, racing forward with burning lungs as her boyfriend's feet suddenly gave out from beneath him, catching his heavy figure moments before he hit the ground. "Jeremy!" She screamed, shaking his shoulders roughly as she gathered his head in her lap, her heart beating painfully against her ribs.

"Oh god," Caroline's breathless prayer was the only confirmation she needed to hear.

He was dead.

…

"Well, whatever it is will have to wait," Klaus stated seriously. "You see, I have an obligation to my own brother that requires my…immediate attention." And, with that, the blonde vampire stalked swiftly from the room, a hidden anger in his eyes that only Kira seemed able to see.

He was planning something. She knew that without a doubt. In fact, she had no idea why Katherine, Stefan and Elijah had even allowed him to leave the room by himself, it seemed a monumentally stupid move to her.

Couldn't they see the anger simmering in his eyes? The betrayal? Even the hurt?

Perhaps it was so easy for her to see because she reacted precisely the same way when someone she loved hurt her. It was…disturbing, to realise that she and the Original hybrid had something so fundamental in common. But she couldn't ignore it either. For as long as she could remember, she'd had a temper to be feared. Her parents, god bless them, had accepted her propensity to blow up at people, to say the most cruel, hurtful things imaginable, as something that was simply a part of her. They hadn't tried to change it, loving her passion, her spirit, the way the quality allowed her live life to the fullest. They had helped her control it.

Even so, she recognised the trait in Klaus as easily as she recognised it in herself.

That ability to do the most horrific things in the heat of the moment, truly hurtful things, and only half regret them.

"You understand the importance of family," Elijah finally spoke up into the tense silence, speaking directly to Stefan. "If you didn't, you wouldn't be here trying to save your brother."

Circling the room slowly, Kira watched the open doorway Klaus had disappeared through with keen eyes, the only one in the room not watching the exchange between Stefan and Elijah.

"You would do anything for your family," Elijah went on, almost as if he were attempting to excuse his own traitorous actions to himself rather than to Elena's boyfriend. "So would I. My brother has promised to reunite me with them-"

"And so I shall, brother," Klaus' murmured words sent a shockwave through the room, the rip of a sharp dagger cutting through cloth, as he piercing Elijah through the back, making both Stefan and Katherine stagger back in shock.

Kira watched everything with unsurprised, dangerously interested eyes.

She watched as Klaus gently lowered his slowly greying brother to the floor. The way he was careful not to disturb the dagger protruding from his chest. The way the sharp needle-point was positioned directly over the heart.

Of course.

She'd heard that there was a way to incapacitate an Original, to put them out of commission, but the method was so protected, so secret, she'd never learned of it.

She'd had a feeling…when she'd walked away from Tessa, mind spinning with the repercussions of Klaus surviving the ritual, of how it was only a matter of time before he discovered Elena was alive, of how he'd come down on her family…she'd known she had to learn everything she could about the reason Elijah held back from pulling his half-brother's heart from his chest.

The reason why a few simple words changed everything between the brothers.

And she had.

He'd putdown his entire family. Every single one.

_That _was the reason Elijah wanted revenge. _That _was the reason Elijah had changed his mind.

And _that _was what was going to help her.

Seeing Elijah's paralysed body laying against the cold, hard wooden floor of the teacher's apartment, Kira smiled.

Such a small, little thing holding Klaus' world together.

Reliance on a dagger to never move. To never shift. To never allow its victim to awaken.

With a sharp, intelligent mind racing through everything she'd discovered since arriving back in Mystic Falls; vampires infecting her family's lives, best friend's cursed with the blood lust, Jenna's dead body, Elena's tortured expression, Jeremy's helplessness…staring at Elijah's vulnerable body, eyes fixed on that stationary dagger protruding from his chest…she knew exactly what she was going to do.

How she was going to get her revenge.

She was going to turn Niklaus' world upside-down; making his life so complicated, so dangerous, he wouldn't have time to hurt her family again.

He'd given her all the answers she needed.

…

"Are you sure about this?" Alaric asked the distraught Bennet witch, his eyes refusing to move from Jeremy's still chest. "I mean, I've seen a lot of things, but-"

"I have to," Bonnie cut him off sharply, lighting the candles around the room with a simple wave of her hand.

"But can it even be done?!"

Young, miserable eyes moved up to lock with his, tugging Jeremy's unresponsive body further into her lap.

"I have to try, Rick," She whispered brokenly. "I know that it's impossible, but so was killing Klaus. This place, this house, it can do the impossible. It has so much power! If I can just convince them to help me, to help me bring him back…there's a chance."

Clenching his jaw, his eyes, as if they had a mind of their own, drifted back down to Jeremy's pale, dead face.

He was so young.

"…Alright."

…

Staring down at Stefan's blood-covered face, Kira's lips curled up with disgust.

She couldn't believe it.

The vampire that was with her sister, that had slept with her, spent the night in the same house as her little brother and aunt; he was a ripper.

No control. No conscience. No thought beyond the pleasure of blood.

"Again," Klaus smirked, tossing another blood-bag on the floor in front of the Salvatore.

He didn't hesitate. Without glancing up, Stefan dived for the blood, sinking his fangs into the plastic with relish.

"Jesus, Elena," She growled, glaring darkly at the out of control predator sitting on the apartment floor. "What the hell have you been thinking?!"

She didn't have anything against vampires. Like any other creature, they had needs and a right to walk this earth, she wasn't disputing that. Unlike others of her kind, Kira understood the reality of the world. Just like all humans were flawed, so were vampires. It was a choice you made for yourself.

But she was also a realist.

Vampires were dangerous. They were predators. And their choice of prey? Humans.

She didn't begrudge those who embraced their inner predator, because it was who they were once they turned. What she couldn't abide was those who lacked control.

A vampire who blacked out when they consumed human blood was a menace. A weakness. A problem.

Most vampires who indulged in blood from the vein didn't even kill the majority of their victims. They didn't feel the need. But rippers? Or those that approached them? They did. They killed every person they fed off. And she had no time for them. And no sympathy.

Did her sister know of Stefan's problems? Did she understand the extraordinary danger she'd put her family and friends in? Did she care?

The questions refused to leave her as she stared mutely at the out of control vampire guzzling bag after bag of blood.

Did she know?

Warmth suddenly invaded the room; a soft, sweet breeze that froze her where she stood.

Her head snapped up, sapphire eyes focused on the partially open window opposite her.

She could feel it.

Magic.

Serious, powerful magic.

Enough magic to disrupt the balance, to send wave after wave of intense energy through her bones.

What the hell was happening out there?! Who the hell was calling on this much power?! Making this big of an impact on the balance of nature?!

She'd never felt anything like it!

Walking briskly towards the window, her mind sharp enough to realise that no-one else in the room had reacted to what she could feel, her eyes focused off into the distance.

The witches house.

She recognised the path she'd taken a few days ago, recognised the feel of the magic.

"What are you doing, Bonnie?" She whispered lowly, concern dominating her eyes.

...


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries

…

Kira observed everything with watchful eyes. Waiting for her moment.

"I'm sorry it had to be this way, brother," Klaus murmured before gently closing the lid on Elijah's coffin. "Put it with the others," He ordered the compelled humans sharply, glaring at the blonde haired man when he accidentally bumped the polished black box.

So he did care about them.

A lot.

She knew it.

Kira smirked.

Paying no attention to the horror story happening behind her, already having seen the human girl being led into the warehouse by Klaus' minions, Kira focused all her attention on following the three large men carrying Elijah's coffin.

The walk was short. Just outside was a moving truck, the doors already open. And inside was exactly what she'd been hoping to find.

Grinning, Kira stalked behind the men, watching as they slid the coffin into the lower metal bunk before immediately turning back around and leaving.

It was almost too easy.

Staring at the closed coffins surrounding her, she felt her mood abruptly dampen. However well she'd timed this, what she was expecting her magic to accomplish wasn't simple.

It was going to take everything she had…and then some.

Breathing in deeply, sapphire fluttered shut as she took a moment to centre herself, knowing that a chance like this wasn't going to come along again.

Her eyes snapped open.

Without hesitation, she stalked towards the first coffin; stopping a mere foot from its edge.

Well-oiled hinges made no sound in the silent truck as the lid slowly opened, her entire concentration focused on exerting her will over her magic, in forcing it to manifest in the living world.

Elijah's grey, dead face met her eyes, and she gave a small, triumphant smile.

She moved quickly, opening each coffin one-by-one until they were all open.

Eyes flickering open once the last lid had been lifted, sapphire orbs suddenly widened, taking in the man laying paralysed inside the box.

It was difficult to tell with his skin tinted grey the way it was, but even that couldn't significantly diminish the incredibly handsome features of the Original with a dagger protruding from his chest.

Thick, dark brown hair seemed unable to choose between complete chaos and adorably messy spikes, adding a dark roguishness to his clean, masculine appearance that she hadn't been prepared for.

He was younger looking that Klaus, that was obvious in the lack of any lines on his classically handsome face. But there were similarities there. Between both Niklaus and Elijah.

Tearing her eyes away from the intriguing vampire, Kira forced her mind to settle.

She was already tired. The simple exercise of levitating the coffin lids as taxing as she'd feared.

Still, there was no way in hell that she was stopping now.

Closing her eyes, standing in the centre of the truck, she raised both arms, concentrating on the bond she could feel linking her to Davina. Hoping that the connection to a living person would assist her magic in its task.

Breathing out, she slowly lifted her outstretched hands slowly.

The pressure came suddenly and with power. Clamping down on her lungs with force.

Kira ignored it. The only sign of her pain the slight wrinkle on her brow.

She forced her arms to continue lifting.

Without having to look, she could feel her connection to the four daggers, feel the magic working as the sharp knives rose delicately and silently from four immobile chests.

She knew the exact moment they were all free.

She smiled.

Eyes still closed, she held out her hand, pushing her magic into the single limb. Cold, smooth metal settled against her palm; her hand, for a very short time, able to grasp the real objects despite being nothing more than a spirit.

She stumbled.

Without warning, Kira felt her world lurch, and suddenly, she was falling.

Eyes fluttering open, she smiled weakly at the still, paralysed figures still lying in their coffins. The daggers no longer protruding from their chests.

But she wasn't finished.

Moving around the truck earlier, there had be one coffin that she hadn't been able to open. No matter how hard she tried, it simply wouldn't budge.

And there was no way in hell she was leaving the no doubt highly lucrative leverage behind. No way was Klaus carting around a spelled coffin in the same manner as his beloved family and not care a hell of a lot about what happened to it.

Which meant…she wanted it.

Steadying herself against the wall, her breathing ragged, sapphire eyes glared furiously at the locked coffin located furthest from the exit.

She didn't have enough strength to move it. Not now. Not before Klaus and Stefan left the warehouse and this truck took off after them. And she wasn't leaving Mystic Falls and her siblings now. Not when what was left of her family was going through hell.

Suddenly, without warning, she felt a cool breeze flutter around her and warmth fill her.

"…Davina," She breathed, grinning.

Oh, she loved that girl!

Felling strength return to her body in a way she'd never experienced before, she could feel the young witch feeding her own magic through their connection. Somehow, and she had no idea how it was even possible, Davina had sensed her need.

And she was more than happy to help.

Smiling helplessly at the intense love she felt for the teenager, Kira quickly straightened her shoulders, turning sharp eyes on her last goal.

It was hard.

Even with Davina lending her all the strength she had, keeping nothing for herself.

But she did it.

Levitating the locked coffin into the air, she coaxed it down from the truck, forcing her magic to keep steady as she moved swiftly into the night; leaving behind four Original vampires, their bodies slowly waking up, silver daggers clutched possessively in her left hand.

She wasn't able to get far, her magic draining with ferocious speed, and she knew that she needed to hide her prizes before she wasn't able to do anything at all.

Not one hundred metres from the dank, private warehouse Klaus had used to host the body's of his family, Kira turned down a small alley, moving hurriedly towards the warehouse directly adjacent to the larger one Niklaus currently occupied.

Making sure there was no-one watching, the daggers and floating coffin all too corporeal, she crouched down against the wet concrete path, making sure that there was enough room underneath the building to hide what she needed hidden.

Her fingers trembled, and she knew the dark, cobweb infested foundations would have to do.

Using the last of her strength, she forced the coffin and daggers into pitch blackness, propelling them forward as far as they would go until, with a pained gasp, her magic abruptly failed.

A soft, distant thump was the one sound that penetrated the night. The lone coffin connecting hard with the bricks, stone and mud littering the warehouse's ill-kept foundations.

Pressing a hand to her chest, Kira grinned. For the first time since she'd awoken on the other side, her never-ending frustration and rage settled.

"What did you do?" The soft, vicious hiss pierced the night.

Forcing her eyes open, she smirked.

Qetsiyah stood above her, black eyes like fire.

"You interfered with the living world!" Qetsiyah spat, pure hatred dripping from her lips. A dark, dangerous fury seeming to light up the air around her, swirling ominously.

Forcing her trembling legs to steady, Kira climbed to her feet. Abhorring the position of weakness.

"I don't take orders from you," She stated lowly, her eyes like ice.

The attack was vicious and swift.

A rope of red-hot fire sprung into existence around Qetsiyah, whipping through the air to connect with her cheek.

The pain was terrible. Lancing up her face as the skin bubbled unpleasantly.

Holding a hand to her burnt face, the silence of the alley was oppressive.

"I guess I was right," Kira snarled, gritting her teeth against the burning pain that refused to ease. She slowly lifted her eyes to lock with Qetsiyah's darkly furious orbs. "Your _rules _apply to everyone but you, don't they, Tessa?"

"You insipid child!" The ancient witch growled, her lips twisted into an ugly sneer. "Presuming to lecture me! I created this plane. There are boundaries to my power, but do you really think I would have knowingly trapped myself here without the assurance that I would keep some of my powers?"

Hatred blazed inside of her, the injustice of it all galvanising Kira beyond reason.

"…And yet," She whispered darkly. "Even you can't interact with the world of the living,…can you?" Qetsiyah said nothing, her spine abruptly straightening. "And something tells me that the real reason behind this delightful little burn; is jealousy. Because despite being the creator of this hell, despite existing as long as you have; you can't do what I just did...And that kills you."

...

Holding his head in his hands, Jeremy tried to control his breathing, his head refusing to stop spinning.

He'd died.

Had actually been dead.

How…how was this possible?!

A loud creak from behind him had his head snapping up, eyes wide. Not seeing anything, he rose slowly to his feet, scanning the empty doorway of his bedroom closely.

"Is anyone there?" He called, his steps slow as he moved into the hallway. "Elena?"

Nothing but the wind answered his call.

Running his hand through his hair, Jeremy shook his head, closing his eyes as he tried to get over the constant buzzing in his ears. He'd never felt so strange before…so, wrong.

"Get a grip," He muttered under his breath, hands clenching angrily.

Turning back towards his room, eyes lifting from the timber floor, the sight that met him froze every single cell in his body.

"…Vicki?" He breathed, staggering back.

Standing in front of him, not looking a day older than the last time he'd met her, was his first love. Vicki Donovan.

"Hi Jeremy," She smiled cutely, sheepish.

Before he had a chance to say anything, to do anything beyond gape at her in confused disbelief, a shuffling sound from down the corridor caught both their attention and he turned his head to face the partially open window outside Elena's bedroom.

"Jesus Christ!" A female voice cursed. "I do not remember this trestle being this high!"

The voice had his spine straightening painfully.

No…

…It wasn't possible…

"Jeremy?" Vicki pleaded, stepping forward in search of his attention, but he couldn't have been less interested.

His brown eyes refused to move from the white window-sill that a small, pale hand had suddenly grabbed, his heart thundering in his chest.

…It couldn't be her!

Right?

Without warning, a slim, skinny jean clad leg hooked over the window-sill, pulling a petite, all too familiar body up and inside.

Long, red tinted brown locks fell like a waterfall through the air, furious curses slipping from the girl's lips as she got caught on a rose thorn.

"…You'd think that they'd prune the damn thing," The angry complaints pierced him with a strength he'd never expected and Jeremy stumbled forward, immediately attracting the girl's attention.

Large, doe-like sapphire orbs darted up, locking with his own.

Oh God…

"Kira," His voice sounded like a prayer, hopeless, yet so incredibly yearning Jeremy knew his heart would break if this turned out to be nothing more than a dream.

His sister.

His fiery, cunning, free-spirited sister…she was here!

"Jeremy?" Kira choked, staring at him through impossibly wide eyes, the same disbelieving hope shining in her deep blue eyes. "C-can you…? You can _see _me?!" She breathed.

"Oh god," Running forward, he didn't even know what he was doing. All that mattered in that moment was sweeping her up in his arms. Feeling her hug him back.

Her arms flew wide, tears swimming in her eyes, waiting for his embrace.

He stumbled.

Loosing his footing, he crashed into the partly open window he'd just seen Kira climb through, the breath knocked out of him.

Steadying himself, he spun back around with a speed he didn't know he was capable of, fear storming through him as he searched wildly for his sister's face, terrified that it was all a hallucination. That it wasn't real.

"Jeremy…" Crouching down, Kira's trembling hand went to wipe the tears from his face only to pass straight through his skin, just as he'd passed through her body a second before.

She smiled shakily.

Swallowing back the tears, he forced his voice to steady. "I-is it really you Kira?" He demanded.

Breathing out through a laugh, she nodded. "Yeah, it's me," The sheer conviction in her voice was all the proof he needed, and more tears leaked from his eyes at the terrible need to hug her, knowing it wasn't possible.

"How?"

Falling back onto the timber floorboards he was already sitting on, Kira just shook her head, barely able to get past her own shock at seeing and talking to her little brother again, to think.

"…I don't know," She admitted softly, sapphire eyes running over his face with intense hunger, as if memorising the feel of speaking with him again after all this time.

"Bonnie," Jeremy gasped, his chest hurting from the tears he was ruthlessly suppressing. "Bonnie, she, she brought me back! She's a witch, Kira," He explained quickly, words rushing over each other in his haste to explain. "I know that's hard to believe, but I died! I died! And she brought me back."

"What-?!"

"The witches, they said that there would be consequences," He went on rapidly, mind flying a mile a minute. "This must be what they meant! I can see the dead!" Leaning forward, he ached to grasp her hands in his own. "I can_ see _you Kira!" He explained with blinding happiness.

…

Hunger.

It was the first thought, the first feeling that came to him.

Intense, bone-deep hunger.

Then came the confusion.

He couldn't move.

Why couldn't he move?

...Where was he?

How?

Nik!

Black eyes flew wide, flames of rage flickering in the dark orbs.

"Brother…" The rough croak from beside him broke his murderous thoughts, capturing his attention.

The effort it took him to turn his neck, to face the sound…it was galvanising. The evidence of his loathsome weakness doing nothing but increasing the depth of his rage.

"Bekah," He breathed, the sight of his little sister's grey face and droopy eyes igniting a protective instinct inside of him.

What the hell had Niklaus done to them?!

Almost at once, soft, almost inaudible groans began breaking the silence of the darkened space surrounding him. The sound of weakened shuffling as bodies moved inside coffins piercing the damp air.

Gritting his teeth, his fury lending him strength he shouldn't have, Kol forced his arms to move, to support his weight.

He swayed, almost tumbling to the ground. But his dogged determination and stubbornness held tight to the edges of his prison.

They were moving.

He could feel it.

The steady, constant hum of machinery.

A low, dangerous snarl rumbled ominously through the truck.


End file.
